See the Moment Meghan Markle Rejects a Curtsy in Favor of a Warm Hug at One Young World Summit

Meghan Markle turned a possibly awkward greeting into a super sweet moment.

The Duchess of Sussex appeared at the One Young World Summit’s opening ceremony at Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday evening, where 2,000 young people from over 190 countries around the world gather to promote social impact.

After an official introduction, Meghan made her way to the stage as fans cheered and snapped photos. Kate Robertson, one of the two founders, was ready to greet her onstage — and dipped down to give a curtsy. However, the royal mom approached Robertson, whom she has known for the past five years, with her arms outstretched and appeared to shake her head no, instead embracing her in a friendly hug.

In a video from the event posted on Meghan and Prince Harry‘s joint Instagram page, the royal can be seen clapping along to a musical performance as participants waved flags from around the world.

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Meghan, 38, stepped out in a purple midi dress with long sleeves by Aritzia — a piece she previously paired with a red jacket for a visit to Birkenhead early this year while pregnant with son Archie. She completed the look with navy heels and her hair worn in a bouncy blowout parted down the middle.

The royal mom is Vice-President of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, which is partnering with One Young World this year to bring 53 young leaders from across the Commonwealth to attend the Summit in London. Within her role, Meghan works alongside the Queen, the trust’s Patron, and husband Prince Harry, the trust’s President, to help support, fund and connect young leaders around the world who are working to improve their communities.

Meghan is a longtime supporter of One Young World. She first joined as a counselor at the 2014 Summit in Dublin, where she addressed young leaders on the importance of women’s rights and the role men play in achieving equality. She also attended the 2016 Summit in Ottawa.

Meghan’s appearance at the opening ceremony comes two days after her and Harry’s emotional ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which saw them open up about ongoing tabloid rumors and the onslaught of attention and lack of privacy.

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“It’s hard. I don’t think anybody can understand that, but in all fairness, I had no idea,” she said of the relentless attacks from tabloids. “Which probably sounds difficult to understand here, but when I first met my now-husband my friends were really happy because I was so happy.”

Meghan added, “But my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.’ And I very naively — I’m an American we don’t have that there — said, ‘What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense! I’m not in tabloids!’ I didn’t get it. So, it’s been… yeah, it’s been complicated.”