Hillary Clinton and Meghan Markle had a secret meeting at Frogmore Cottage

Meghan Markle and Hillary Clinton may be long-time admirers of one another, but up until this week, the pair had never met in person. That changed on Tuesday, when Clinton visited Markle at her home in the UK that she shares with husband Prince Harry and son Archie.Spending the afternoon together at Frogmore Cottage, a source close to the pair tells People that the women instantly hit it off, with Clinton finally getting to deliver the hug she wanted to give Markle in person. “Both women have a lot of admiration for each other and it was a very sweet, warm meeting,” said the source, who revealed the pair even talked about the letter Markle sent Clinton about removing a sexist dishwasher ad when she was only 11. “They are mutual fangirls!”The source added that Prince Harry and baby Archie also made an appearance during the visit, with Clinton sharing stories with the new parents about her grandson Jasper, who Clinton’s daughter Chelsea Clinton delivered in July. The mother and daughter duo are currently on a book tour for their new release The Book of Gutsy Women and appeared on the BBC Radio 5 Lounge with Emma Barnett on November 12, with the former presidential candidate speaking honesty about her feelings towards Markle and the situation she and Prince Harry are in with the relentless pursuit of their personal lives by the British tabloids.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you to the brilliant scholar and classicist Mary Beard, who literally wrote the book on women and power, for joining Chelsea and me to talk #gutsywomen at @southbankcentre!

A post shared by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Nov 14, 2019 at 8:36am PST

Speaking about the couple's decision to pursue legal action against the Mail on Sunday, Chelsea Clinton said she agreed with the Duke and Duchess. "We each have to do what we think is the right thing for ourselves and in her case I would imagine for her son. If taking action against the Mail on Sunday is that [...] that's what she has to do." The author and global health policy specialist added "I think absolutely there's a racist and a sexist element to what's going on here," a sentiment her mother agreed with."To think that some of your - what we would call mainstream - media actually allowed that to be printed in their pages, or amplified, was heartbreaking and wrong,” said Hillary. “She is an amazing young woman, she has an incredible life story. She has stood up for herself, she has made her own way in the world.”The two women are no strangers to dealing with the often-painful side of having one’s personal life turned into headlines. Possibly hinting at what she and Markle discussed during their private meeting on Tuesday, Clinton added “You know, it’s not easy. And there are some techniques that can be learned along the way, some humor, some deflection, whatever, which I’m sure she will come to. But it is tough what she is going through. And I think she deserves a lot better.”

?️"Oh my God, I want to hug her!"Former Presidential candidate and First Lady @HillaryClinton tells @EmmaBarnett she believes the treatment of Meghan has been “heart-breaking and wrong”?Read more: https://t.co/xYk0QchAUV?Listen via @BBCSounds pic.twitter.com/ziBbWAGGQU

— BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) November 12, 2019

The Clintons have joined a growing group of women in politics who are supporting Markle. Fellow former First Lady Michelle Obama has continually praised Markle, whom she calls a ‘thoughtful leader’ and ‘inspiration.’  Markle also has the support of 72 female members of parliament in the UK, who are helping to fight back against the media’s racist, sexist and cruel treatment of the Duchess of Sussex.[video_embed id='1829059']Meghan and Harry aren’t spending Christmas with the Queen[/video_embed]