Meghan Markle says 'George Floyd's life mattered' in speech on US protests at her former school in LA and waited until now because she 'wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous'
- Duchess of Sussex gave virtual address to graduating pupils at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles
- Meghan, who attended the school from the age of 11 to 18, said she had been 'wrong' to wait to speak out
- The 38-year-old former actress also named other African Americans killed in US by police in recent years
- Meghan made speech yesterday then the video was released to black women's lifestyle magazine Essence
Meghan Markle has today broken her silence on the murder of George Floyd, declaring that 'black lives matter' and admitted it had been 'wrong' for her to wait more than a week to speak out about his death.
The Duchess of Sussex gave an address to graduating pupils at her old school, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, where she also named other African Americans who were killed in the US by police in recent years.
The 38-year-old former actress, who attended the school from the age of 11 to 18, said: 'George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered'.
Meghan, who referred to Los Angeles as the family's 'home town' after moving there with husband Prince Harry, and their son Archie, had been criticised for not speaking out about Mr Floyd's death in Minneapolis ten days ago.
She admitted this was a mistake, saying: 'I wasn't sure what I could say to you. I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that it would get picked apart. And I realised the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing'.
Meghan made the six-minute virtual speech yesterday before the video was released to black women's lifestyle magazine Essence, which published it on its website today saying 'courtesy of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex'.
It comes as demonstrations continue to build around the world after Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after white police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck in Minneapolis on May 25 for nine minutes.


Meghan Markle has given a video address to her old school in Los Angeles in which she talked about George Floyd's murder


Meghan said she remembered the Los Angeles riots of 1992 (above) which happened when she was growing up in the city
During the video, Meghan also said there were many others killed by police who would never have been named. She said: 'As we've all seen over the last week what is happening in our country and in our state and in our home town of LA has been absolutely devastating'.
The Duchess also said how the students are 'going to have empathy for those who don't see the world through the same lens that you do', adding: With as diverse, vibrant and opened minded as I know the teachings at Immaculate Heart are, I know you know that black lives matter.'
The former Suits star told students that she had been about to start secondary school when the Los Angeles riots began in the spring of 1992 after the brutal beating of Rodney King.
She said: 'I was 11 or 12 years old when I was just about to start Immaculate Heart Middle School in the fall, and it was the LA Riots, which was also triggered by senseless act of racism.
'And I remember the curfew and I remember rushing back home and on that drive home, seeing ash fall from the sky and smelling the smoke and seeing the smoke billow out of buildings and seeing people run out of buildings carrying bags and looting.
'And I remember seeing men in the back of a van just holding guns and rifles. And I remember pulling up at the house and seeing the tree, that had always been there, completely charred. And those memories don't go away.'
Meghan also referred to some advice she was given by a teacher aged 15, saying: 'I remember my teacher at the time, one of my teachers, Ms Pollia, said to me as I was leaving for a day of volunteering, 'always remember to put other's needs above your own fears'.
'And that has stuck with me throughout my entire life and I have thought about it more in the last week than ever before.'
Her speech left some Immaculate Heart students in tears, with one on Twitter with the user name 'blm • gia' saying: 'Meghan Markle talking about George Floyd and BLM in my virtual graduation. I'm crying.'
Meghan and Harry had been maintaining a low profile on social media during the Black Lives Matter protests - and stayed offline during Black Out Tuesday this week on their Sussex Royal Instagram page.
The royal couple have stayed silent on social media over the past two months, with their last Instagram post on March 30.
However, the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, which is overseen by the Queen, Harry and Meghan, shared on Instagram and Twitter a Martin Luther King Jr quote, saying 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'
It comes as an old clip of Meghan, now 38, filmed as part of the 'I Won't Stand For...' campaign for non-profit organisation Erase the Hate, has gone viral in light of the recent protests.
Meghan, who had not yet met Harry when she taped the video, shared her hope that society will become more 'open-minded' and learn to see the beauty in a 'mixed world'.
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