Meghan Markle hands out signed Polaroids to young patients at children’s hospital in Los Angeles – and encourages them to ‘shake’ film

Meghan Markle handed out signed Polaroids to youngsters during her visit to a Los Angeles children’s hospital, newly released video shows.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, smiled warmly as she chatted with young patients and explained how the retro camera printing process works – when she made an appearance on March 21 – in clips shared by Extra TV on X.

At one point, she could be heard telling one girl that ‘what’s so neat about’ the image is that it was still developing as they watched it – and encouraged a boy to shake the film.

The mother-of-two held onto a Sharpie – ready to autograph the snaps – and leaned down to talk with the children, as well as giving many of them hugs. 

In a royal-style visit in California, photos saw Meghan leading a ‘Literally Healing’ session. 

Meghan Markle handed out signed Polaroids to kids during her visit to a Los Angeles children’s hospital, new photos show

The former Suits star was seen showing off her acting skills while reading to kids.

In photos of the visit released on Tuesday, shared online by the hospital, via ExtraTV, Meghan greeted the group of children as they meet to hear her read the stories, including Rosie Revere, Engineer, which she labelled as ‘one of her favourites’.

Meghan’s acting roots were clearly paying off as she gestured and changed the sound of her voice to add more to the characters’ quotes. 

The Duchess was effortlessly stylish in a floral ensemble. She added a touch of springtime joy to her outfit and donned a chic flowery $3,490 (£2,776) Oscar De La Renta silk-chiffon landscape shirt dress with long cuffed sleeves and a sash belt.

The outing marked the second occasion that Meghan has donned the piece, having previously worn the dress in photographs displayed in the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries in 2022, Harry & Meghan.

For her recent engagement, she paired the outfit with a classic pair of £595 ($747) ‘Love Affair’ black pumps with a delicate strap from Italian brand Aquazzura – an item Meghan has sported on numerous occasions.

Meghan wore her glossy brunette tresses loose and kept her make-up simple and understated to complement her lively ensemble. 

A touch of rosy pink blusher and a sweep of eyeliner across her eyelids was enough to enhance the mother-of-two’s complexion.  

The Duchess of Sussex , 42, smiled warmly as she chatted with young patients and explained how the retro camera printing process works – when she made an appearance on March 21

In a royal-style visit in California ,photos saw the Duchess of Sussex leading a ‘Literally Healing’ session

The Duchess added to her outfit with a pair of simple yet elegant chunky gold hoop earrings. 

Meghan, who is married to Prince Harry, has not returned to Britain since Queen Elizabeth II‘s funeral in September 2022.

The Duchess of Sussex did not come back for King Charles’s coronation in May 2023 which her husband attended alone.

Harry and Meghan moved to California in June 2020, saying they wanted space to raise their first child Archie. Their daughter Lilibet was born in 2021.

A statement about Meghan’s visit to the children’s hospital read: ‘Children were laughing and singing as The Duchess turned into character with every page as she read patient favourite books like Rosie the Riveter, Pete the Cat and I Saw a Cat’.

The mother-of-two held onto a Sharpie – ready to autograph the snaps – and leaned down to talk with the children, as well as giving many of them hugs

Meghan’s acting roots were clearly paying off as she gestured and changed the sound of her voice to add more to the characters’ quotes

It also isn’t the first time that the Duchess has connected with kids through stories; she’s authored a children’s book, The Bench, and to mark Archie’s first birthday in May 2020, the mother and son appeared in a clip where she read Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.

During her visit in March, Meghan also shared hugs with the children and staff, as well as taking photographs with them. 

‘With literacy development and fun in mind, the mother-of-two also helped kids with STEAM activities tied to each book that let patients explore counting, colours, problem solving and more,’ a statement added.

The Duchess is a children’s book author after releasing The Bench, a story inspired by Archie’s relationship with his father, Prince Harry.

‘The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born,’ Meghan said in the press release from publisher Random House Children’s Books. ‘That poem became this story.’

The book was dedicated by Meghan to Harry and Archie: ‘For the man and the boy who make my heart go pump-pump,’ the dedication read.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Literally Healing is a reading programme that gifts families at the hospital more than 65,000 books annually. 

Meghan’s storytime was part of the Make March Matter campaign, an annual fundraiser at the hospital that aims to create hope and build healthier futures with the help of ‘celebrities, business and the greater community’.

More than $10million for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has been raised by the campaign since 2016.

Meghan isn’t the first celebrity to visit the hospital to support patients, with Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jake Gyllenhaal providing the children with a special advanced screening of Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019.