Meghan Markle offered her support to an American biracial teenager who was allegedly set on fire in an alleged hate crime.
The Duchess of Sussex reached out to 18-year-old Althea Bernstein, a biracial teen who was allegedly set on fire by four white men wearing masks last week.
Althea told police she was driving with her window down near the Wisconsin state Capitol at about 1 a.m. Wednesday when she stopped at a red light.
She said she heard a man call her a racial epithet, then another man allegedly sprayed her with lighter fluid and threw a lighter at her, according to a local ABC affiliate.
So far, there are no suspects, police say.
Meghan was so moved by the young woman’s alleged ordeal that she contacted Althea through a spokesperson.
“Thank you Meghan for reaching out and checking on our kids in Madison, Wisconsin today,” wrote Michael Johnson, the family’s spokesperson, in a Facebook post. Johnson is CEO and President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dan County, Wisconsin.
Johnson told news outlet Channel 3000 that Meghan and Althea spoke during a three-way, 40-minute phone call on Saturday afternoon.
Prince Harry also joined the call for 10 minutes.
Meghan, 38, spoke with Althea about her faith and being biracial herself. She also encouraged Althea to avoid social media and its negativity.
“As I heard her, I thought ‘She has to talk to more kids,’ and I’m thankful she agreed to do it,” Johnson said. In addition to calling Althea, Markle agreed to be part of a virtual town hall for Wisconsin girls, to be scheduled in the next few weeks, Channel 3000 reports.
