Duke and Duchess of Sussex pay visit to family of Uvalde shooting victim
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a surprise visit to the family of Irma Garcia, a teacher killed in the 2022 Uvalde school shooting on Saturday (09.03.24).
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a surprise visit to the family of a teacher killed in the Uvalde school shooting on Saturday (09.03.24).
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were in Uvalde, Texas, to meet with the relatives of Irma Garcia - who was one of 21 people shot dead at Robb Elementary School in May 2002 - after having been in contact with them since the tragedy.
Irma's nephew, John Martinez, told CNN in a text message: “It was such a beautiful experience, they’re so nice and compassionate, very down to earth, humble people.
“It was kind of by surprise, she [Meghan] had called my mom one random day and dropped the news on us not too long ago that she was coming to visit the kids and of course we got so excited."
Irma's husband Joe tragically died of a heart attack just days after his wife was killed, and Harry and Meghan spoke at length with their children about their plans for the future.
And before they left, Meghan surprised John's mother Claudia with a cake.
Video footage shared by John showed the couple singing 'Happy Birthday' to Claudia, who suggested it wasn't her first meeting with the pair.
During their time in Texas - where Meghan had been part of a panel discussion at the SXSW Conference - the couple also enjoyed a date night at La Barbecue in Austin, tucking into brisket and sausages.
Director of Operations Cory Rivademar told People magazine: "Their visit was a scheduled thing. They let us know that she wanted to come by, but did not know Harry was coming.
"They came in, and they toured the pits with Frankie, who is the pit guy, and talked about how hot it was around the pits, which is funny because this is Texas, and actually, it can be much hotter than today."
Cory praised the pair - who are parents to Prince Archie, four, and two-year-old Princess Lilibet - for being "absolutely lovely", taking pictures with staff and other diners as the restaurant stayed open to the public throughout their visit.
And after they left, the former 'Suits' star's representative sent a text saying it was the best barbecue they had ever had.
Cory added: "I thought they seemed happy and sweet, he's very lovely. She spoke about their kid loving the new Disney movie, 'Wish'. Very genuine and very loving. Happy couple. Nice to people who didn't even know what was going on."
