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15 Jul 2025 8:24
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    The Duchess of Sussex has continued "checking in" on a teenager who was a victim of an alleged hate crime

    The 38-year-old duchess spent 40 minutes on the phone to Althea Bernstein - who was allegedly doused with lighter fluid and set on fire by a group of white men in Wisconsin last week - last weekend and has subsequently been in touch with Michael Johnson, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, to find out how the 18-year-old EMT is doing


    Michael - who has been acting as Althea's spokesperson and helped arrange the call with the duchess - wrote on Facebook: "I am blown away by Meghan Markle! She called me again today while my wife and kids were in the car and said, 'Hey Michael, this is Meghan, I am just checking in.'

    "We talked for about 10 minutes about a lot of things including Althea and her wellbeing."

    And Michael hinted the duchess - who has 13-month-old son Archie with husband Prince Harry - may get further involved with his organisation in the future.

    He added: "We also talked about some plans she supports but I can't share yet...so stay tuned.

    "I love how poised and down to earth she is, her passion, her commitment to children and how she is following up with genuine love and support.

    "Meghan, you are amazing and if you ever wanted to work for Boys and Girls Club in Wisconsin we would hire you in a minute."

    Michael had previously praised the former 'Suits' actress for her manner on the phone, as she sounded "almost like a seasoned high school counsellor" and was delighted when she agreed to his request to appear on a virtual town hall to speak with young people in the area.

    He said: "Her and Meghan talked about the importance of self care and allowing herself to heal.

    "And she applauded her for the way that she responded and pretty much said, 'Hey Michael, give me her cellphone number. I want to stay in touch. And let me know when you want me to come back and talk to people in Wisconsin...

    "As I heard her, I thought 'She has to talk to more kids,' and I'm thankful she agreed to do it."

    Meghan was said to have encouraged the teenager to stay away from social media to avoid reading negative comments, and they spoke about faith and their experiences of being biracial.

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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