Meghan Markle stuns with America’s Got Talent cameo to support contestant Archie Williams
The Duchess of Sussex is said to be a huge fan of the show and became obsessed with a certain contestant taking part this year after hearing his story
America’s Got Talent viewers got a huge shock at last night’s live final when Meghan Markle made a surprise cameo.
The Duchess of Sussex dropped by to give a special good luck message to her favourite contestant on the show, a singer named Archie Williams.
Speaking from what appeared to be the living room of her Los Angeles home, Meghan said she and Prince Harry had been captivated by Archie’s story and cheered him on every week.
At his first audition, Archie told how he had 36 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of rape and attempted murder at the age of 22.
After he made it the final of the talent show, host Terry Crews left him speechless with a specially recorded message from Meghan.
Crews said: “All through this season Archie your story and your talent have touched and inspired people around the world and we have a very message for you from a special fan… Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.’
“Hi Archie, Just wanted to let you know that we’ve been so moved by your story and we’ve been cheering you on every week and it’s not just because we’re partial to the name,” joked Meghan, who has a one-year-old son named Archie.
She went on; “So, a very special message to you that I’ll probably be saying all of my life, but on this night it’s specifically for you: Archie, we are proud of you and are rooting for you, we can’t wait to see what you do. We’re in your corner, have a good night.”
Archie has become a stand-out star of this season of America’s Got Talent not only for his incredible singing voice and also for his shocking true life story.
The now 59-year-old was wrongly convicted of rape and attempted murder in Louisana and spent 12 years in prison.
At the 12 year mark he appealed to the Innocence Project to help exonerate him. Years later, fingerprints found at the scene of the crime matched those of a serial rapist and Archie was freed after being locked up for almost 40 years.
He spoke of his ordeal during the audition, telling the judges; “I knew I was innocent, I didn’t commit a crime. But being a poor Black kid, I didn’t have the economic ability to fight the state of Louisiana
“Days turned into weeks, into months, into years and into decades. It’s like a nightmare.”
During his audition Archie performed and emotional rendition of Elton John’s Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me that left the judges in tears.
Simon Cowell told him: “Archie, I will never, ever listen to that song in the same way ever again,” judge Simon Cowell told him. “It took on a whole new meaning for me. You’re a very courageous person. This is an audition I will never forget for the whole of my life, Archie.”
In the final, Archie sang the Beatles classic Blackbird and was praised once again for his flawless rendition.
In the end Meghan’s seal of approval wasn’t enough to land Archie the win as he lost out to spoken word artist Brandon Leake in the final.
Meghan’s appearance on AGT comes a day after she and Harry appeared on primetime TV in the US to celebrate Time magazine’s most influential people list.
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