Justine Parkhurst, overcome with grief after her grandmother’s funeral in Sydney, found herself seated next to Prince Harry in first class on April 17, 2025, as the Daily Mail reported. She did not initially recognize him and broke down in tears after boarding.
That’s when the prince stepped in to console her.
In a Facebook post, Parkhurst recounted the encounter: “We chatted for a minute, and I told him that my Nan is the only one I really wanted to tell about sitting next to [Harry].” She added that he replied, “She already knows.”
The meeting was pure chance. Parkhurst and her husband had booked a different flight but switched at the last minute, landing them in the first-class cabin of a Qantas flight to Los Angeles. It was the same section where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat as they flew home.
Parkhurst described their upgrade: “My husband and I got super lucky and were upgraded to first class.” Of Harry and Meghan, she said while waiting to board, “I will tell you that he was very nice and so was his wife.”
Still emotional, Parkhurst did not notice her seatmate at first. “I sat down and a few tears started to roll down my face,” she said. “I’m always happy to get the upgrade for that long flight but I wished I had not been on the plane at all. I didn’t even notice the person sitting next to me until they were adjusting the seat and getting comfortable.” Then it hit her: “It was Prince Harry.”
Meghan sat across the aisle, with security guards right behind them, Parkhurst noted. Of the couple, she said, “They were very nice. They were sweet to everyone and each other.”
Harry’s kindness is making headlines now, but days earlier, Meghan drew criticism for using their children’s royal titles—Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet—in promoting candles from her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand. While some fans defended her, the move sparked online backlash, with calls for King Charles to intervene.