Entertainment

Meghan Markle meets Malala Yousafzai at Claridge's on first London outing since UK return

Frances KelsallPublished 12m ago2 min readBased on 9 sources
Meghan Markle meets Malala Yousafzai at Claridge's on first London outing since UK return
Photo by Sharon Jones on Unsplash

Meghan Markle has made her first London appearance since moving back to Britain, meeting Malala Yousafzai at Claridge's.

The Duchess of Sussex sat with Yousafzai in a corner booth at the historic London hotel, according to HELLO!. The pair were later pictured hugging goodbye outside. Yousafzai is the activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate known for her work on girls' education.

The outing is Meghan's first sighting in London since she and Prince Harry returned to live in the Cotswolds. She was spotted in the UK for the first time since the return on 9 September, as reported by Page Six. Days later she was seen driving herself in the Cotswolds.

Security explains the gap. Prince Harry and Meghan lost taxpayer-funded protection, the round-the-clock police protection paid for by the state, when they stepped back from royal duties in 2020. That former cover was 24-hour and automatic.

In June, Prince Harry said it was not safe to bring his wife and children to London, HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash said on HELLO!'s A Right Royal podcast. Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, did not join him for his London visit in July. Prince Harry attended alone a London event that Meghan had been expected to attend with him, as reported by People.

Nash said the couple now rely on private security, but that team cannot carry weapons. Since the return to Britain, Meghan has been granted her first government-backed security review, a formal reassessment of risk by the authorities. Prince Harry also made a private plea to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for answers on his security after a risk assessment conducted at the end of July.

Nash suggested the London outing points to a shift. She said Prince Harry and Meghan must be confident they have or are about to have better security.

What makes this stand out is the contrast with the summer. Then the message was stay away. Now it is a corner booth in Mayfair and a hug on the pavement.

Related Articles