Meghan Markle Tells Little Boy 'It's Past Your Bedtime' and References Archie and Lilibet at Gala

Meghan Markle was thinking of her children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet during a night out to support an important organization.

On Oct. 5, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, made a surprise appearance at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala and offered a relatable comment from her perspective as a parent while meeting a family on the green carpet.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you? Past your bedtime, for sure!" Meghan joked to a little boy in his mother's arms, according to a video obtained by Daily Mail .

"How old are they? Oh, so really close to our kids. Three and five," the Duchess of Sussex continued, seemingly referring to her 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, whom she shares with husband Prince Harry .

"Do you want to take a picture?" Meghan then asked the little girl, and they all moved in for a group photo together.

The Duchess of Sussex walked the carpet at the event alongside her friend, Alliance of Moms co-founder Kelly McKee Zajfen , on the Saturday night following Prince Harry's trip to Lesotho, Africa to highlight the work of his charity, Sentebale, while there. Meghan made a fashion statement at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala, wearing a red Carolina Herrera dress that was already in her closet. The Duchess of Sussex first wore the dress to the Salute to Freedom gala with Prince Harry in New York City in 2021, but skipped the voluminous train for its second spin.

The Children's Hospital Los Angeles gala is held biennially and pays tribute to the hospital's patients, physicians, researchers and caregivers, according to its website . The star-studded party hosted by Joy Cryer and Lisa Joyner honored Chuck Lorre , Sugar Ray Leonard and his wife, Bernadette, and was also attended by Jamie Lee Curtis, Kaley Cuoco, Colin Hanks, Jimmy Kimmel, Molly McNearney, Mark and Sky Hoppus, Al Yankovic and Demi Lovato, who performed.

In a quick interview shared to Instagram , Meghan praised Children's Hospital L.A. and spoke about how she sees it as a parent.

"Oh my goodness, the work they do at Children's Hospital L.A. is otherworldly, and I think, from my standpoint as a mother, no one to have to be in a position where you need to go to a place like this, but if you have to, the best place in the world you could go would be Children's Hospital L.A.," the Duchess of Sussex said.

"I have close friends who still have their children there, going through treatments, either from high school, close mom friends now, that are having their children really have that experience," continued Meghan, who was born and raised in Los Angeles.

"The staff is incredible, and the amount of work they do for families that really could not afford this level of care is something that I think should never be overlooked," the Duchess of Sussex said. "So I'm just grateful for everything they do. Happy to be here to support."

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In March, Meghan visited Children's Hospital Los Angeles to lead a Literally Healing session .

"Children were laughing and singing as The Duchess turned into character with every page as she read patient favorite books like Rosie the Riveter, Pete the Cat and I Saw a Cat," a statement said. The mom of two also helped children with STEAM activities connected to each book.

In a video of the visit, Meghan greeted the kids as they gathered for the story time.

"This is one of my favorites," she said as she showed the cover of Rosie Revere, Engineer.