BeyoncéandJAY-Zmay not have attended the 2019 Brit Awards in person, but they still made their mark – thanks to asurprise “cameo”from royal mom-to-beMeghan Markle.
Music’s power couple accepted their award for Best International Group via video message, recreating theirmusic video for “APES—.”But instead of posing in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” they stood in front of a regal portrait of the Duchess of Sussex donning a sparkling crown and pearl necklaces.
Beyoncé and JAY-Z with portrait of Meghan Markle.Beyonce/Instagram
“The first I heard of it was seeing it online,” O’Brien – a Brooklyn-based illustrator who has designed magazine covers forTime, Rolling StoneandSports Illustrated –tells PEOPLE via email.
“It was their concept to paint Meghan as a princess, and we worked collaboratively on the sketch before final approval and then my painting,” he explains.
Shortly after the acceptance speech aired, Beyoncé shared a photo posing with the portrait toInstagram.
“In honor of Black History Month, we bow down to one of our Melanated Monas,” she wrote. “Congrats on your pregnancy! We wish you so much joy.”
“Meghan’s background as a film and tv actress has allowed her to use her platform for good,” Beyoncé, 37, wrote of Markle, also 37. “As a global ambassador for World Vision, she traveled to Rwanda to see how access to clean, safe water impacts children, an issue that is near and dear to our hearts. She also visited and supported the Myna Mahila Foundation in Mumbai, an organization that helps solve the menstruation challenges many women and girls in the community face.”
Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock; Chris Jackson/Getty
Then, Beyoncé looked to Meghan’s May wedding toPrince Harry. For the ceremony, she made sure her Black culture was incorporated, something Beyoncé was happy to see.
“[She] brought many Black traditions to her Royal Wedding including a Chicago-based Black pastor, an amazing gospel choir, and a young Black cellist,” Beyoncé recalled. “At the wedding her culture was front and center, and she andPrince Harryhave continued to push the race relations dialogue forward both near and far.”
source: people.com
