Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance on the season finale of America's Got Talent, to send a video message to singer Archie Williams, who was wrongly imprisoned for 36 years until his release last year.
While Williams finished in the bottom half of the Top 10, his story touched the heart of the Duchess of Sussex, 39, who appeared in a surprise video from her home.
Speaking to the singer, she said: ‘Hi Archie! I just wanted to let you know that we have been so moved by your story, and we have been cheering you on every week'.
Williams, 59, was wrongly convicted of raping a 31-year-old woman in 1982 on the basis of an unreliable selection from a photographic lineup, and spent decades in prison until an FBI fingerprint database finally proved his innocence in 2019.
It was the latest television appearance by Meghan as she and Prince Harry look to boost their profile in the US, where they caused a row this week by weighing in on the election and angering President Trump by hinting at an endorsement for Joe Biden.
Surprise: Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance on the season finale of America's Got Talent, to send a video message to singer Archie Williams, 59
Touched: While Williams finished in the bottom half of the Top 10, his story touched the heart of the Duchess of Sussex, who appeared in a surprise video from her home
Meghan joked that her support for Williams was 'not just because we’re partial to the name,’ making the connection between the singer’s name and that of her son Archie, 16 months.
'So a very special message to you that I will probably be saying all of my life, but this night, it is specifically for you,' she added.
'Archie, we are proud of you and we are rooting for you, and we can’t wait to see what you do. We’re in your corner. Have a good night!' Markle said.
Archie smiled in disbelief, one of the highlights of the star-studded AGT finale.
Williams was arrested in 1983 after a rape victim saw his photograph in a lineup and told police to 'look for someone who looked like him', before positively identifying him from a different lineup the following day.
However, a friend of the victim who had come face to face with the attacker identified a different person from the lineup.
At trial, the witness identified Williams but said she was unsure and compared her selection at the lineup to a game of 'eenie, meenie, miney moe'.
Williams testified that he was asleep at the time of the attack in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while his mother and two others said they had seen him sleeping at home.
Police said fingerprints had been found at the crime scene which did not belong to Williams, the victim or her husband.
Nonetheless, Williams was convicted in April 1983 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The New York-based Innocence Project started lobbying for his release in the 1990s but years went by before prosecutors agreed to hand over the fingerprints.
Evidence was handed to a Louisiana crime lab in 2009 but Williams's lawyers were not informed, and only in 2019 were the fingerprints submitted to the Next Generation Identification database, an FBI system created in 2014.
In March last year, fingerprint experts finally searched the database and found a match to known sex offender Stephen Forbes, who died in prison in 1996 while incarcerated for other rapes.
With Williams's innocence confirmed, prosecutors joined his defence team in requesting that his conviction be vacated, leading to his release.
Partial: 'And it’s not just because we’re partial to the name,’ she joked, making the connection between the singer’s name and that of her son Archie, 16 months
Proud: 'Archie, we are proud of you and we are rooting for you, and we can’t wait to see what you do. We’re in your corner. Have a good night!' Markle concluded
Meghan's appearance came as President Trump berated her from the White House podium after she and Prince Harry hinted they were backing Joe Biden.
The Duke of Sussex urged people to 'reject hate speech' while the Duchess called it the 'most important election of our lifetime' in remarks which made waves on both sides of the Atlantic.
Royal insiders voiced concern in Britain where the Queen and her family are expected to remain politically neutral at all times, with one saying that Harry and Meghan had 'crossed a line'.
Buckingham Palace also distanced itself from Harry's remarks by saying that 'the Duke is not a working member of the royal family' and describing his comments as 'made in a personal capacity'.
The US president and his campaign team also fired back at Meghan, who spoke openly of her disdain for Trump before she joined the royal family.
'I'm not a fan of hers,' Trump said. 'I would say this - and she has probably has heard that - I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he's going to need it.'
Harry and Meghan made their comments in a Time 100 video to go with the publication of this year's list of the most influential people, which does not include the royal couple.
'As we approach this November, it's vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity,' said Harry.
California-born Meghan, 39, added: 'We're six weeks out from the election, and today is Voter Registration Day.
'Every four years, we're told the same thing, 'This is the most important election of our lifetime. But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action, and our voices are heard.'
Harry acknowledged that he was not eligible to vote himself, adding that he had never voted in the UK either because of the royals' political neutrality.
Disbelief: Archie, a humble man who had been wrongly incarcerated for 36 years, smiled in disbelief, one of the highlights of the star-studded AGT finale
Winner: Poet Brandon Leake was declared the winner of Season 15 of America’s Got Talent on Wednesday night’s live finale results show
Collapse: Brandon, a 27-year-old spoken-word artist from Stockton, California, was the first poet to ever win the show and collapsed to the stage when his name was called
Poet Brandon Leake was declared the winner of Season 15 of America’s Got Talent on Wednesday night’s live finale results show.
Brandon, a 27-year-old spoken-word artist from Stockton, California, was the first poet to ever win the show and collapsed to the stage when his name was called.
‘Yo! Thank you so much America! A-ha!’ Brandon cried, as fireworks went off behind him on a set at Universal Studios Hollywood, where the show was filmed.
Chicago-based musical duo Broken Roots came in second place, followed by Nashville singer Cristina Rae in third, Toronto singer Roberta Battaglia in fourth, and Brazilian acrobat Alan Silva in fifth place.
Brandon had always been the odds-on favorite to win AGT for his original poems about love, life as a father, having children, and the challenges of being Black in America.
Favorite: ‘Yo! Thank you so much America! A-ha!’ Brandon cried, as fireworks went off behind him on a set at Universal Studios Hollywood, where the show was filmed
Second: Chicago-based musical duo Broken Roots came in second place, followed by Nashville singer Cristina Rae in third, Toronto singer Roberta Battaglia in fourth, and Brazilian acrobat Alan Silva in fifth place
When his name was called, he fist-bumped judge Howie Mandel, 64, who was overjoyed to see his Golden Buzzer pick take the crown, and jumped up and down in endless streams of confetti.
For his win, Brandon earns a million-dollar prize and the chance to headline a Las Vegas show. To his delight, he and the band Broken Roots also scored 2021 K5 cars from Kia.
Every time Brandon performed, Howie made clear the impact that his work had on him.
Golden Buzzer pick: When his name was called, he fist-bumped judge Howie Mandel, 64, who was overjoyed to see his Golden Buzzer pick take the crown, and jumped up and down in endless streams of confetti
‘You, young man, are not only changing your life, you’re changing the world,’ the comedian insisted, once adding, ‘I’ve never been more moved in my life on this show from any other act.’
After the quarterfinals, Howie re-watched Brandon’s performance ‘a hundred times’ and told the contestant he had just two words for him, which he wanted to share: ‘You matter.’
Before his triumph, Brandon said that a victory would be ‘bigger than just me. This is a huge win for the spoken-word community, for an art form that has not been on the mainstream ever. To have a chance to win America’s Got Talent is bigger than anything.’
Changing: ‘You, young man, are not only changing your life, you’re changing the world,’ the comedian insisted, once adding, ‘I’ve never been more moved in my life on this show from any other act.
Bigger: Before his triumph, Brandon said that a victory would be ‘bigger than just me. This is a huge win for the spoken-word community, for an art form that has not been on the mainstream ever. To have a chance to win America’s Got Talent is bigger than anything'
Cristina, whom many had pegged to win the show—and whom Howie called ‘the one to beat’ in the finals, thanked judge Heidi Klum, 47, for giving her a Golden Buzzer during auditions.
The singer smiled as photos of her adorable toddler Jeremiah were shown onscreen, and vowed, ‘My baby is gonna be on this stage, and he’s gonna win.’
‘You are a winner in my heart and so many hearts out there,’ a tearful Heidi told Cristina, who once lived in her car while pregnant, and had hoped to secure her son’s future with the prize.
Cristina: Cristina, whom many had pegged to win the show—and whom Howie called ‘the one to beat’ in the finals, thanked judge Heidi Klum, 47, for giving her a Golden Buzzer during auditions
Heidi speaks: ‘You are a winner in my heart and so many hearts out there,’ a tearful Heidi told Cristina, who once lived in her car while pregnant, and had hoped to secure her son’s future with the prize
AGT’s finale results show brought out a host of top musicians, and featured performances from all 10 finalists, many of them sharing duets with singers they’d admired.
Eight-time Grammy winner Usher, 41, opened the show with a medley of his hits, which he performed all over the Universal lot, with cameos from the AGT show judges.
The 10 contestants covered Bill Withers’ 1972 hit Lean on Me, with Brandon doing a bit of spoken-word in between their vocals.
Usher: Eight-time Grammy winner Usher, 41, opened the show with a medley of his hits, which he performed all over the Universal lot, with cameos from the AGT show judges
He subsequently went solo to do an original poem about being on AGT.
Broken Roots joined Blake Shelton, 44, for a rendition of his 2019 barnstormer God’s Country.
Cristina also joined Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic on Lose Somebody, his recent hit with Kygo.
Poem: He subsequently went solo to do an original poem about being on AGT
Cristina and Ryan: Cristina also joined Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic on Lose Somebody, his recent hit with Kygo
‘What a treat that was!’ Heidi said after she sang. ‘I can’t stop smiling, because it makes me so happy watching you do what you do best.’
In an especially moving segment, Archie, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana singer who’d been wrongly incarcerated for 36 years, covered Everything You Touch is a Song, by The Winans.
Archie said he depended on that song to uplift him throughout his prison journey, and he had promised himself to sing that song in AGT’s finals, if he made it.
Smiling: ‘What a treat that was!’ Heidi said after she sang. ‘I can’t stop smiling, because it makes me so happy watching you do what you do best'
Archie: In an especially moving segment, Archie, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana singer who’d been wrongly incarcerated for 36 years, covered Everything You Touch is a Song, by The Winans
‘Listening at you, it helped me through my journey in prison,’ Archie told original singer Marvin Winans, 62, with whom he dueted. ‘You just don’t know all the lives you saved, man.’
‘Don’t you start crying and then I won’t start crying,’ Marvin told Archie, who sobbed, ‘You’re the one who got me through prison. Every song you sung, it just changed my whole life.’
To Archie’s great surprise, show host Terry Crews, 52, then told Archie that his story and talent had touched people from around the world, and they had a message from ‘a special fan.’
Crying: ‘Don’t you start crying and then I won’t start crying,’ Marvin told Archie, who sobbed, ‘You’re the one who got me through prison. Every song you sung, it just changed my whole life'
Megan, Duchess of Sussex then appeared on the screen from her house, where she sat on a sofa surrounded by pillows, with books and a vase of hydrangeas behind her.
Singers Roberta, 11, from Canada, and Kenadi Dodds, 15, from North Logan, Utah, came on to croon If The World Was Ending with its songwriters, JP Saxe, 27, and Julia Michaels, 26.
The Bello Sisters, an Italian trio of acrobats age 13, 19, and 22, showed off their athleticism by stacking their bodies against each other as Bishop Briggs, 28, sang her single Higher.
Singers: Singers Roberta, 11, from Canada, and Kenadi Dodds, 15, from North Logan, Utah, came on to croon If The World Was Ending with its songwriters, JP Saxe, 27, and Julia Michaels, 26
Megan's message: Megan, Duchess of Sussex then appeared on the screen from her house, where she sat on a sofa surrounded by pillows, with books and a vase of hydrangeas behind her
As Bishop segued into her platinum hit song River, the finale’s other acrobat, Alan Silva, swung around high in the air, blowing up a balloon and catching knives thrown at him.
Daneliya Tuleshova, the 14-year-old singer from Kazhakstan, rocked out on Kings & Queens with pop sensation Ava Max, 26, who agreed that ‘this girl has a killer voice.’
Dance duo Bad Salsa, from Kolkata, India, combined their talents with Mumbai’s V.Unbeatable, the winners of this year’s AGT: The Champions, on a rousing, fast-paced dance routine.
Bishop: As Bishop segued into her platinum hit song River, the finale’s other acrobat, Alan Silva, swung around high in the air, blowing up a balloon and catching knives thrown at him
Killer voice: Daneliya Tuleshova, the 14-year-old singer from Kazhakstan, rocked out on Kings & Queens with pop sensation Ava Max, 26, who agreed that ‘this girl has a killer voice'
Duo: Dance duo Bad Salsa, from Kolkata, India, combined their talents with Mumbai’s V.Unbeatable, the winners of this year’s AGT: The Champions, on a rousing, fast-paced dance routine
The Detroit Youth Choir, who finished in second place on AGT Season 14, returned to perform Imagine Dragons’ Believer and share their success since the show, after which they’d earned a million dollars from local foundations and business leaders, and the key to their city.
The show’s judges also played a word guessing game in which they could only give hints to their partners, without saying the word itself. Words included ‘dream,’ ‘win’ and the judges’ names.
America's Got Talent returns for its 16th season next year.
Choir: The Detroit Youth Choir, who finished in second place on AGT Season 14, returned to perform Imagine Dragons’ Believer and share their success since the show, after which they’d earned a million dollars from local foundations and business leaders, and the key to their city
