On UK Mother’s Day (March 31), fans of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan surprised the royal couple by raising nearly $35,000 in a “virtual baby shower” intended to benefit Meghan’s favourite charities.

The groups that received money through #GlobalSussexBabyShower were UK animal charity Mayhew, WellChild and the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), which works to improve the education of women and girls in Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Harry and Meghan were very touched by this gesture from their fans. “What an incredibly special surprise the grassroots led #globalsussexbabyshower was last Sunday!” they posted on their new Instagram account on Friday (April 5). “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support in anticipating of the birth of their first child.”

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What an incredibly special surprise the grassroots led #globalsussexbabyshower was last Sunday! The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support in anticipation of the birth of their first child. In lieu of sending gifts, the couple have long planned to encourage members of the public to make donations to select charities for children and parents in need. If you already made a donation, the couple send you their greatest thanks. If you are thinking about it, they ask that you kindly consider the following organisations they’ve selected, which we will highlight here over the next few days: @thelunchboxfund @littlevillagehq @wellchild @baby2baby The Duke and Duchess remain appreciative for your warm wishes and kindness during this especially happy time in their lives! Thank you for sharing the love ❤️

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Apr 5, 2019 at 8:17am PDT

They went on to suggest four charities anyone can donate to in lieu of gifts to celebrate Baby Sussex’s impending birth: the aforementioned WellChild, The Lunchbox Fund, Little Village and Baby2Baby.

The Lunchbox Fund works in South Africa, providing school meals to children who are at risk of going hungry. London-based Little Village provides babies and children from newborn to age 5 with clothes, toys and more. WellChild helps children and youth in the UK who are living with severe illnesses or complicated health needs. Los Angeles-based Baby2Baby distributes essentials to children up to age 12 who live in poverty.

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The Duke of Sussex has proudly been patron of UK based organization Well Child since 2007. Over 100,000 children and young people are living with serious illness or exceptional health needs across the UK. Many spend months, even years in hospital vs at home because there is no support enabling them to leave. Well Child’s vision is for every child and young person living with serious health needs to have the best chance to thrive properly supported at home with their families. Both the Duke and Duchess attended the Well Child Awards in the winter of 2018, supporting the incredible families and children who benefit from the Well Child programs. For those who have inquired, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ask that you consider supporting @wellchild and three other select charities in lieu of sending baby gifts for their upcoming arrival. Thank you for the support and kindness! Photos via: @wellchild #worldhealthday

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Apr 7, 2019 at 8:06am PDT

Harry and Meghan are well known for their charitable work, especially with children. On International Women’s Day, Meghan was joined on a panel by CAMFED’s Angeline Murimirwa.

WATCH: Duchess Meghan’s full International Women’s Day panel

“Meghan inspires me deeply as an individual,” Angeline told HELLO! Canada about the duchess. “Through the support of members of the Royal Family, we can be seen and heard, reaching a whole new audience. So this helps us to educate people all over the world, who will hopefully, in turn, help us to support millions more invisible girls through education.”

Baby Sussex is going to have incredible parents when they come into the world sometime over the next few weeks!

MORE: Full royal baby coverage