Beyonce and Jay-Z 'bow down' to Meghan Markle with Brit Awards tribute

The pair recorded an awards acceptance video in front of a portrait of a jewelled, crowned Duchess of Sussex

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Husband and wife, the reigning king and queen of the music industry and now an award-winning group – Beyonce and Jay-Z continue to dominate.

The pair claimed the title of Best International Group at Wednesday night's Brit Awards, hosted in London, but were unable to attend in person to collect their joint award, instead sending a recorded acceptance video to Britain.

And in typical Knowles-Carter style, the pair used the opportunity to make a statement, recreating their famous Apes**t video, which was shot in the Louvre in Paris.

But instead of standing in front of the Mona Lisa, as they do in the video, the pair are seen in front of a portrait of a jewelled and crowned Meghan Markle.

While they make no mention of the portrait in their speech, just subtly turning to face it at the end, Beyonce later took to Instagram to congratulate the Duchess of Sussex on her pregnancy.

“In honour of Black History Month, we bow down to one of our Melanated Monas,” she captioned a shot of her and Jay Z in front of the portrait. “Congrats on your pregnancy! We wish you so much joy.”

Many people took to Twitter to praise Beyonce on supporting Meghan, who has been the subject of much media scrutiny in UK tabloids.

"Beyonce want the hive to protect Meghan. We got it Queen," one user wrote.

Another said: "Wow at Beyonce and Jay-Z not only making an acceptance video, but doing so in front of a portrait of Meghan Markle. Very classy, pointed support of a black woman being treated repulsively by the UK tabloids."

The Duchess of Sussex is expecting her first child with husband Prince Harry in April, and celebrated her baby shower in New York this week.