A young couple were left star-struck yesterday after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex offered them a helping hand while out on an afternoon stroll.
Iliya Pavlovic and Asymina Kantorowicz were attempting to take selfies in Vancouver Island's Horth Hill Regional Park, when a woman approached and asked if they’d like her to take a snap for them.
Ms Kantorowicz, a producer for Canada’s CTV News, told the channel she didn't recognise the obliging stranger at first, who walked over from a group standing nearby.
"She starts asking if we want her to take a photo for us," she explained. "We said 'sure'. I didn't see who she was at that time."
It was only after she spotted Meghan's Suits co-star Abigail Spencer that she realised the royal couple were stood before her.
"I froze up. I actually couldn’t believe who it was. Then I looked over to the side and that’s when I realised Prince Harry was standing there," the Canadian native explained.
"I kept looking back and forth like, 'Is this actually happening?'"
As reality sunk in, Ms Kantorowicz and her partner accepted Meghan's kind offer.
"In that moment the only thing I could think to say, 'There's only so much that selfie sticks can do,’” she told CTV News.
"(Meghan) laughed and responded with something like, 'We'll have to do better,' and then Harry said, 'No pressure," she explained.
The couples then wished each other "Happy New Year” and carried on with their respective hikes.
Ms Kantorowicz said she and her partner turned to each other following the chance encounter, asking “'Did that just happen?'”.
"We didn't want to make a big deal of it. We really appreciated that she stopped to take a photo for us,” she added, describing Meghan as “super friendly”.
"I was in shock and I didn’t want to make it a big deal. But then we both called our moms to tell them," she said.
“I still can't believe it. It feels like a dream."
It wasn't the first time Harry and Meaghan were spotted hiking at the popular Horth Hill park over the festive period. Numerous locals have reported meeting them in the area since they arrived in December.
The royal pair opted to spend their first Christmas with baby Archie on Vancouver island rather than joint the Queen’s traditional Sandringham celebrations, following a year dogged by criticism.
The pair, said to be "exhausted" by 2019, have enjoyed a lengthy break in North America, following Thanksgiving with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland.
