Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Helped Build a Playground in Uvalde

Meghan Markle, the wife of Britain's Prince Harry, places flowers as she mourns at a makeshift memorial outside Uvalde County Courthouse in Uvalde, Texas, on May 26, 2022. - Grief at the massacre of 19 children at the elementary school in Texas spilled into confrontation on May 25, as angry questions mounted over gun control -- and whether this latest tragedy could have been prevented. The tight-knit Latino community of Uvalde on May 24 became the site of the worst school shooting in a decade, committed by a disturbed 18-year-old armed with a legally bought assault rifle.

(Image credit: Photo by Chandan Khanna / Getty)

published 19 October 2022

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have helped build a playground for the residents of Uvalde, Texas, to provide hope and community six months after the senseless Robb Elementary School shooting.

The Duchess of Sussex visited the town in the days following the tragic killing of 19 children and two teachers on May 24. She lay flowers at a makeshift memorial and donated food to help a blood drive.

In the following weeks, the duchess called the family of one of the victims, Irma Garcia, to check in on how they were doing after their terrible loss.

But the Sussexes wanted to do more, and joined forces via their Archewell Foundation with Uvalde and the charity KABOOM!, which aims to build playspaces for underserved communities.

A memorial is seen surrounding the Robb Elementary School sign following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 26, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. According to reports, 19 students and 2 adults were killed, with the gunman fatally shot by law enforcement.

"The City of Uvalde, Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation, and @KABOOM (a nonprofit with the mission to end playspace inequity) have built a new playground for children and families 'to provide a sense of hope' to the community following May’s Robb Elementary School tragedy," royal reporter Omid Scobie tweeted, alongside members of the community posing in the brand new playground.

Scobie added, "The DeLeon Park project was created to foster a sense of togetherness and healing and honour lives lost. Says Archewell director James Holt, 'Our hope is that this special project can help the community heal, and be home to imagination, games and play for many years to come.'"

Fans flocked to Scobie's mentions to praise the generous gesture.

Uvalde community member Mayra Vasquez said as part of a press release, "It warms my heart to see everyone unify to bring hope and positive change for our community and children by helping to build this special playground. I'm excited to see many families come together to work out, have family gatherings, and allow our kids to release energy and have fun at the end of the day."

The Sussexes' Archewell Foundation works on a number of causes close to their hearts, including curbing misinformation, fostering a safer internet, and promoting vaccine equality, among other charitable initiatives.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.