Meghan Markle Surprises Hikers With Low-Key Moment On New Year’s Day

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry gave a Canadian couple a New Year’s Day surprise when they stopped to help take a picture.

Asymina Kantorowicz, a producer for CTV News, told People that she and her boyfriend, Iliya Pavlovic, share a New Year’s Day tradition of bringing a picnic to Vancouver Island. As they were finishing up, Kantorowitcz said she and Pavlovic were attempting to take a photo of themselves with a selfie stick. She stated she wanted to try to get a selfie with a “nice backdrop” but wasn’t being very successful.

It was as they were struggling that Kantorowitcz said the royal came up to her and offered to take the photo, unprompted. The producers said that — at first — she didn’t recognize the duchess. It wasn’t until she noticed Meghan’s fellow Suits co-star, Abigail Spencer, that she began to piece together the puzzle. Kantorowitcz continued, saying she was a huge Suits fan, so she immediately recognized Spencer. After glancing again at the woman who offered to take the photo, she said she noticed it was Meghan. After that, she looked to the rest of the small group and saw Harry as well.

Upon realizing who had offered to help her out, Kantorowitcz claimed she “froze up,” according to E! News. She went on to describe the only thing that came to her mind once she realized who she was talking to, speaking about the difficulties of selfie sticks and how they can only do so much. Meghan apparently agreed and suggested that she’d have to do better. At which point, Kantorowitcz said Harry told her there was “no pressure.”

The duchess took three photos and then wished the couple a happy new year as she handed back their camera. Kantorowitcz said she echoed the sentiment before the couple was on their way. The producer said she recognized Meghan’s dog, Guy, and the newest royal puppy with their entourage, but lamented that baby Archie wasn’t with them, saying she wished he were there.

All in all, she said the experience was a pleasurable one, saying Meghan “seemed happy and down to earth.” She concluded by wishing the duke and duchess a good stay on Vancouver Island.

As royal watchers know, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to break with royal tradition and spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in Canada, as opposed to at Balmoral with the rest of the royal family. While this has been interpreted by some as a rift between the Harry, Meghan, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said the couple wanted to spend their first Christmas season with Archie in a country that was special to both of them. As fans of Meghan know, she lived in Canada for seven years while filming Suits, and Harry has visited the commonwealth quite often throughout the years.