Meghan Markle praises unsung heroes during the pandemic in surprise television appearance for CNN

The duchess praised key workers and volunteers, and highlighted growing levels of food poverty across the US

The Duchess of Sussex appeared in a pre-recorded clip to praise 'unsung heroes' during the coronavirus pandemic. Courtesy CNN

Meghan Markle has praised the unsung heroes of the coronavirus pandemic during a surprise television appearance – her first since announcing that she suffered a miscarriage.

The Duchess of Sussex appeared in a pre-recorded clip for CNN's Heroes series, during which she praised key workers and volunteers, and highlighted growing levels of food poverty across the US.

“We saw communities standing up and taking action. When kids' lunch programmes came to a halt, we saw our neighbours make sure that those children received the nutrition they need,” she said.

“We also saw the power of the human spirit,” she added. “We have the power to remind someone else that there is hope.”

It was the first time the duchess has appeared publically since penning a column for the New York Times last month, in which she revealed she suffered a miscarriage earlier in the year. Writing of her "unbearable grief", Meghan described how she "felt a short, sharp cramp" on a July morning while she was caring for her son Archie.

"After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right," she said.

"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.

"Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd heal."

The duchess said she was sharing her story to help break the silence around an all-too-common tragedy.

She said conversations around miscarriages remained a "taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning".

She urged people to commit to asking each other "Are you OK?" over Thanksgiving in the US.