Meghan Markle has been seen dining at Claridge’s in Mayfair with Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, marking the Duchess of Sussex’s first reported appearance in London since returning to the UK with Prince Harry.
The 45-year-old duchess and the 29-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner were photographed having dinner at the landmark luxury hotel yesterday.
Their latest meeting follows a partnership that began in 2020, when they took part in a virtual conversation for International Day of the Girl focused on the importance of education for young women.
Yousafzai, who was born in Pakistan and now lives in Birmingham, was shot in the head by the Taliban at 14 after campaigning publicly for girls’ right to attend school.
She later received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her work advocating girls’ rights, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the honour.
The Claridge’s dinner is understood to be Meghan’s first public sighting in London since she and Harry returned to Britain with their children, seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet, in August.
A fellow diner filmed the pair and shared the footage online. In the clip, Meghan and Malala can be seen seated opposite one another at a table tucked into a corner of the restaurant, with the duchess facing out towards the room.
The diner captioned the post: ‘POV: Claridge’s decided to seat Meghan Markle and Malala in front of you.’
Meghan appeared polished in a white roll-neck jumper, while Malala kept on her tan jacket throughout the meal.
Meghan Markle, pictured with her new £112 chocolate advent calendar, was seen dining with Malala Yousafzai at Claridge’s in Mayfair, London
Malala Yousafzai attends the launch of the Los Angeles Orbit Volleyball Team on September 25
Claridge’s, the luxury Mayfair hotel where Meghan Markle was seen meeting Malala Yousafzai
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry joined education activist Malala Yousafzai for a virtual International Day of the Girl discussion in 2020
Their 2020 conversation took place during the Covid pandemic, with Harry also taking part in the online discussion about the barriers preventing young women from accessing education.
During the call, Meghan said: ‘When young girls have access to education, everyone wins and everyone succeeds. It opens the door to societal success at the highest level.
‘What I realised very early on was that when women have a seat at the table, discussions around policy, legislation and the dynamics of a community all shift.
‘And if you want a woman to embrace her voice, you have to begin with who she is as a young girl.’
Harry acknowledged during the discussion that he had taken his own 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.
‘To know there were more than 130 million girls out of education before the pandemic, with that number only expected to rise, worries me. It will affect not only individuals, but families, communities, countries and the world as a whole.’
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He added: ‘I’m hugely grateful for the education I was lucky enough to have. At the time, I probably wasn’t as grateful, but looking back now, I feel very, very blessed to have had 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.’
Meghan previously posted a video of her family settling back into life in the UK following their move in August
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 lockdown his X account after being branded a ‘demon’ and a ‘disgrace to the cloth’ by supporters – known colloquially as the Sussex Squad.
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 lockdown 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.
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