Meghan Markle has returned to the London spotlight for the first time in several years, stepping out at Claridge’s for afternoon tea with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai in an outfit reportedly worth £25,000.
The 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex and the 29-year-old activist were seen leaving the luxury Mayfair hotel together before embracing warmly as they said goodbye outside the entrance.
For the occasion, Meghan chose a camel-coloured Tove Studio coat priced at £1,695, layered over a £526 wheat-toned sweater by Crew Company. She completed the look with Ralph Lauren’s white Charmaine trousers, which retail for £1,900.
Her accessories included a black Chanel handbag valued at approximately £7,000 and Yves Saint Laurent shoes costing around £1,000. She also wore Logan Hollowell’s Lovers Duet Diamond and Emerald Chain necklace, estimated to be worth £16,200.
The pair reportedly enjoyed a traditional British afternoon tea, with fellow guests saying they sampled cucumber sandwiches and scones served with jam and clotted cream. The scones were said to be among Meghan’s favourites.
Meghan and Malala first worked together in October 2020 during a virtual International Day of the Girl event, where they discussed the importance of education for girls.
The meeting is believed to mark Meghan’s first public appearance in central London since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
A few months earlier, Meghan and Prince Harry were met with some boos when they arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Although the Duchess has passed through Heathrow several times since then, she is understood to have largely avoided central London amid continuing concerns over her security.
Malala, who was born in Pakistan and now lives in Birmingham, was shot by the Taliban in 2012 after campaigning for girls’ access to education. She went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17, becoming its youngest-ever recipient, and later studied at Oxford University.
Meghan has spent the past week promoting the latest As Ever launches, but her London appearance could signal a renewed interest in philanthropic work. Her meeting with Malala may also point towards a future focus on girls’ education now that she is back in the UK.
Meghan Markle and Malala Yousafzai smile as they say goodbye after afternoon tea at Claridge’s in central London.
Meghan looked stylish in a Tove Studio coat paired with cream Ralph Lauren trousers.
The two friends embraced as they parted after their afternoon tea.
Meghan smiled at the activist as they shared a warm hug before saying goodbye.
The pair were first connected in 2020 after taking part in a virtual discussion for International Day of the Girl.
The Duchess and Malala appeared deep in conversation as they left the restaurant following their meal.
Meghan and Malala dined in Claridge’s celebrated Foyer and Reading Room, where afternoon tea is priced at £95 per person. Champagne costs an additional £30, but Malala, a Muslim who does not drink alcohol, and Meghan appeared to choose tea and mineral water instead.
The elegant dining room is known for its Art Deco setting and live piano performances, making it one of Mayfair’s most prestigious afternoon tea destinations.
According to a hotel insider, fellow diners discreetly photographed the pair as they spoke animatedly during the meal. The women were described as polite but had little interaction with other guests, remaining surrounded by protection officers. The subject of their conversation has not been disclosed.
The source said they were accompanied by security throughout the visit. Police vehicles were spotted outside Claridge’s during their meet-up, identifiable by their distinctive number plate lights.
The meeting comes amid Harry and Meghan’s ongoing battle over taxpayer-funded police protection in Britain.
The couple previously mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge over Harry’s police security while he was visiting from the US. It is understood now that the committee overseeing royal and VIP security, known as Ravec, is to reconsider the level of police protection now the couple and their two children are full-time residents.
Meghan and Malala’s discussion in 2020 came amid the Covid pandemic, with Harry also joining the virtual talk on barriers to education for young women.
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Meghan said on the call: ‘When young girls have access to education, everyone wins, and everyone succeeds. It just opens the door for societal success at the highest level.
‘What I had realised very early on was that when women have a seat at the table, conversations in terms of policy change, conversations in terms of legislation and the dynamics of the community are all shifted.
‘And when you have to see how you get a woman to embrace her voice, you have to start with where she is a young girl.’
Meanwhile, Harry said he had taken his access to education for granted. ‘We do take it for granted, and it is a privilege, but every single person, every single child, every single young person needs an education,’ he said.
Meghan puts her hand on Malala’s back as they speak after exiting the restaurant
Meghan smiles as she and Malala walk outside the restaurant after their catch-up
Meghan and Prince Harry join activist Malala for a virtual chat to celebrate International Day of the Girl in 2020
‘To know there’s over 130million girls out of education right now, before the pandemic, and the numbers are only going to go up, it worries me, and it probably worries all of us, the effect that is going to have not just on the individual, but on the family, and community, for the country and the world at large.
‘I’m hugely grateful for the education I was lucky enough to have; at the time I certainly probably wasn’t as grateful, but looking back at it now, I’m very, very blessed with having such amazing options.’
Following their conversation, Malala said of the Duchess: ‘Meghan and I are on the same page: we both believe that when girls have access to education, everyone wins.’
The Sussexes unexpectedly moved back to the UK over the summer with their children, just in time for the start of the new school year.
Harry and Meghan were previously photographed holding hands as they headed inside the Falkland Arms pub in the Cotswolds on October 2, marking their first public outing since their move from Montecito in California.
Meghan has continued with her As Ever brand, announcing she is creating a festive range for her lifestyle business, As Ever, last week, when she opened pre-orders for a £112 chocolate advent calendar that is only available to buy in the US.
The calendar – ‘inspired by her Montecito home and garden’ – features a festive illustration of the £11million mansion she and Harry called home for six years.
A press release declared ‘every detail was considered with care, including countdown numbers hand-painted in Meghan’s own penmanship using edible gold lustre.’
Flavours include strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and orange marmalade, plus what is described as a ‘special chocolate finished with Meghan’s own flower sprinkles’.
However, one British vicar who politely criticised the product has been forced to lock down his X account after being branded a ‘demon’ and a ‘disgrace to the cloth’ by supporters – known colloquially as the Sussex Squad.
The Daily Mail revealed the row began when Anglican priest and London university chaplain Reverend Daniel French suggested that people could instead buy a £6 Christian advent calendar that is almost 20 times cheaper and contains Fairtrade chocolate.
The alternative he recommended also raises money for a leprosy charity and comes with a ‘little booklet on the meaning of Christmas’, he told his followers.
But Rev French’s post sparked a backlash from members of the Sussex Squad, who branded him ‘satan spawn’ and ‘evil’, while claiming he had an ‘ugly heart for a so-called Christian’.
His Protestant colleague Father Chris Phillips – whose parish is in Benhilton, south-west London – backed the priest on X, prompting a fresh wave of angry responses, to which he replied that he had ‘encountered the Sussex Squad on here’, adding: ‘Wow.’
His defenders have said he has been ‘terrorised’ by ‘deranged trolls’ ever since, forcing him to lock down his account. Trolls claimed he was a ‘coward’ for doing so.
Meghan’s advent calendar announcement came only days after Buckingham Palace shared their own advent calendars, which were almost £100 cheaper, with prices starting at £25.
Other products in Meghan’s ‘Holiday Collection’ include ‘botanical confection’ chocolates developed by Los Angeles brand Compartes as part of an ‘ongoing collaboration’ and ‘The Keepsake Double-Deck Parlour Card Set’ with the As Ever logo.