Meghan Markle was seen mingling with celebrities during her unexpected appearance at Paris Fashion Week, marking her first trip to Europe in over two years.

The Duchess of Sussex, aged 44, appeared cheerful as she was seen leaving her hotel en route to the Balenciaga show in Paris on Saturday evening.

Seen embracing Vogue’s global editorial director Anna Wintour and receiving a kiss from Australian film director Baz Luhrmann, the mother-of-two seemed at ease wearing a chic white oversized cape paired with a white button-down shirt and matching trousers.

Meghan paired her look with black pointed-toe heels and simple accessories, giving off a vibe of effortless elegance, topped off with a sleek, slicked-back bun. 

It marks both her first appearance at Paris Fashion and her first trip to Europe since the 2023 Invictus Games, which took place in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Also at the Balenciaga show was Anne Hathaway, who is in the midst of filming The Devil Wears Prada 2, and Lauren Bezos who recently married Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.

But one cringe inducing clip doing the rounds on TikTok captured the moment Meghan greeted Italian fashion designer Pier Paolo Piccioli who is the newly appointed creative director of Balenciaga.

As the Duchess goes in to kiss the designer on the cheek to congratulate him on his Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear designs, the two find themselves awkwardly butting heads and almost kissing on the lips.

Aware that the cameras are on them, Piccioli laughs it off and grabs Meghan’s hand before pulling her in for a photo. They round off their interaction with a brief hug. 

A spokesman for the Duchess said she has ‘long admired’ Piccioli’s ‘craftsmanship and modern elegance – so perhaps nerves got the better of her.

Ever the influencer, Meghan shared a video on Instagram of her walking to the Balenciaga show in her white wide-legged trousers and pointed black heels.

After the show, she posted another video showing her 4.2million Instagram followers the streets of Paris at night from her car window.

The Duchess then makes a point of putting her feet up on the leather interiors of the vehicle.

Meghan was previously a regular at New York and Toronto Fashion Weeks whilst working as an actress on US drama series Suits.

Crowds had gathered outside Meghan’s hotel on Saturday evening in a bid to catch a glimpse of the royal.

But Prince Harry was nowhere to be seen as his wife was flanked by security who escorted her to a waiting car.

A source close to the Sussexes told the Daily Mail: ‘The couple always like to make sure that either mum or dad is at home to put the kids to bed’. 

Meghan’s appearance comes after her husband Prince Harry lambasted ‘men in grey suits’ at Buckingham Palace and accused aides of trying to sabotage his reconciliation with the King.

The Duke’s furious broadside is an extraordinary echo of his mother Princess Diana’s criticism of shadowy royal courtiers – who she also derided as ‘the men in grey suits’ and accused them of undermining her.

Harry is understood to be infuriated at what he sees as a concerted campaign by unnamed Palace officials to torpedo his efforts to strike a rapprochement with his father by giving hostile briefings to newspapers.

‘The relationship between the Duke and His Majesty The King is a matter for the two of them and the two of them only,’ a source close to the Duke told The Mail on Sunday.

‘The men in grey suits should stay out of it.’

Earlier this year, Harry said he ‘would love’ to spend more time in the UK going forward and has told his delighted father it could even be every few months in 2026 

But the Duke of Sussex insists that he will never move back to Britain because ‘he’s genuinely very happy in California’.

In response, King Charles is said to have been ‘absolutely clear’ that his youngest son cannot be a ‘half-in, half-out’ working royal – and Harry is said to swear blind that there is ‘no move’ being made ‘to be back in the institution’. 

The monarch desperately wants a relationship with his youngest son – and especially his grandchildren Lilibet and Archie – with insiders claiming Charles may even be willing to offer the Sussexes their own pied-à-terre in Britain.

Earlier this week, Meghan’s estranged father declared he is ‘fine’ after fears a huge earthquake had trapped him on the 19th floor of his Philippines apartment block.

Thomas Markle, 81, said ‘please don’t worry about me, everything is okay’ after it was revealed he was unable to leave this home. He then thanked ‘everyone’ for their ‘concern’.

The worry was sparked by Duchess of Sussex’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, who posted on social media that her father was unable to leave his flat after the 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit 10pm local time (3pm BST, 10am ET) on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Meghan recently gave fans a rare glimpse inside the $14million mansion she shares with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in California.

She took to her Instagram account last Friday to show off what appeared to be her cosy living room in her Montecito home.

Sharing a clip on her Stories with her 4.2million followers, the mother-of-two showcased an elegant floral arrangement and her beagle, Mia, sleeping on a stunning cream armchair and matching cushioned footstool.

The eye-catching flowers were placed in a white stone vase, embellished with the logo from Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever.

It was recently revealed that Meghan and Prince Harry are heading to New York City this month, where they will accept an award for their mental health advocacy.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been given the Project Healthy Minds’ Humanitarians of the Year Award in recognition of their campaigns to make the online world a safer place for families and young people, according to PEOPLE magazine.

They will reportedly accept the special honour at the nonprofit organisation’s World Mental Health Day Gala on October 9 in New York City, before stepping out for another engagement together the next day.

On October 10, the Montecito-based couple will attend Project Healthy Minds’ fourth annual World Mental Health Day Festival, where their Archewell Foundation is co-producing conversations with those making a difference in the mental health sector.