Duchess Meghan had dinner with Malala Yousafzai at Claridge’s in London

I’ll be honest, when the Sussex family moved back to the UK, one of my biggest concerns was that the British media would easily track Prince Harry and Meghan’s movements on a daily level. My concern was justified because the British media went overboard for years, tracking flight numbers and travel routes and the number of cars in their convoys. I thought that was what it would be like for the Sussexes every damn day in the UK. I’ve been pleasantly surprised though, because that hasn’t happened. Just last night, Meghan popped up in London and the British media had no insider knowledge of it. We only know that Meghan was in London because she had dinner with Malala Yousafzai and someone inside the restaurant posted a TikTok.

Meghan Markle has been spotted in London for the first time since moving back to Britain.

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, met up with Malala Yousafzai, 29, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, PEOPLE confirms.

A photo shared on X shows the pair dining together at Claridge’s, the famed hotel in London’s Mayfair neighborhood.

The outing marks Meghan’s first known public sighting in London since she and Prince Harry moved back to Britain with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, on Aug. 26.

Meghan and Malala have a history together. In October 2020, the Duchess and Prince Harry joined the Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate for a virtual conversation marking International Day of the Girl, discussing the importance of girls’ education.

“Meghan and I are on the same page: we both believe that when girls have access to education, everyone wins,” Malala shared following their 2020 conversation.

[From People]

Imagine going to dinner with Malala at Claridge’s and someone posts a TikTok from inside the restaurant. Wow. I’m surprised this didn’t start with a Deuxmoi sighting. Anyway, I love that Meghan is catching up with Malala! Malala is married now, but they both decided to leave their husbands at home, good for them.

Updated to add the link to some photos of Malala and Meghan outside of Claridge’s. The Mail is predictably hyperventilating about Meghan wearing nice clothes.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Avalon Red.

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30 Responses to “Duchess Meghan had dinner with Malala Yousafzai at Claridge’s in London”

  1. Shiela Kerr says:

    The rumors will start shortly about what project if any this duo will be working on. The gutter rats are restless, all the recycled relationship nonsense and apologies did not track, so they will start anew with this possibility. Hope if there is a renewed partnership it happens other than the UK.

  2. Smart&Messy says:

    I love it! I love Malala and power to the ladies for having an undercover girl dinner. Meanwhile on the Kensington palace agenda: an event with a reality star and red carpet with Tom Cruise and Heidi Klum. LOL

  3. Tessa says:

    I hope they had a great time.

  4. Becks1 says:

    Love to see those two together.

    And yeah I think a lot of people on here were worried that Meghan was just going to be holed up in their house in the Cotswolds and would never poke her head out and its clear that she’s still just living her life – Soho Farmhouse and pilates, pub lunches (note that while there were pictures of her at the pub last week, there were no leaked photos from the lunch/dinner with her friend), and now dinner at Claridges where the only pic/video is somewhat grainy – no shots of her coming or going, etc. It seems a lot like how she was living life in Montecito.

    • Jais says:

      Yeah, she’s clearly not holed up. She seems to be living the same as she was in Montecito. Dinner with friends. No doubt working on asever and no production type stuff from home.

  5. YankeeDoodles says:

    Claridge’s really needs to get that footage off the web. Their whole appeal to people is that they offer sanctuary & refuge …and *no one* will book tables in a room where some rando can pull out a phone & put your image on TikTok. Good god.

    • Magdalena says:

      THIS. I wouldn’t book there, nor would I let any colleagues who value discretion do so. This one breach of privacy has cost them a lot of cachet in the “discreet dining” circles.

      But as Tis True, Tis True said below, the people who made the video may find their attempts to book future tables futile.

    • Puff Updater says:

      The invasion of privacy is unfortunate, but positive in that it reinforces Meghan’s and Malala’s focus on empowering girls. It’s not like they « caught her » staggering dead drunk out of a private club, ahem WanK.

  6. Amy Bee says:

    I hope they had a nice time together but People Magazine is moving like a British tabloid. Plus no matter what the British press says Meghan had more privacy in the US.

  7. Tis True, Tis True says:

    Someone is about to be told “Sorry we have nothing available” when they call to book a table Thé whole point of à restaurant like that is discretion

    • Lorelei says:

      Yup, and fortunately that person made it incredibly easy for the owners to find out exactly who it was.

      I can’t lie; if I’d been in that position, it would have been really hard for me to not take one surreptitious pic. It would take superhuman willpower (but that’s because I genuinely love Meghan; I would NEVER put it online, and I sure as sh!t would never try to sell it to a gutter tabloid).

  8. Denise says:

    I do hate that she can’t go socialise without ending up on someone’s Tikok. She was able to go out and have dinners in Montecite for years, without being recorded inside the restaurant. Now she’s being recorded on a regular basis. Not even her phone number can remain private.

    • ABritGuest says:

      To be fair there were several times when Meghan was posted on deuxmoi because people had spotted & took pictures of her in a restaurant in Montecito. I can remember one with her agent Jill smoller & then when her and Harry were out with Tracey & Brian Robbins at a local spot.

      And paps caught her when leaving local spots with Kimberly from father of the bride, when dining out with Clare Waight Gellar or when she was out with friends and Harry for her birthday.

      But I just love their ability to move in silence generally & that somehow the press who apparently know all intimate details of Meghan & Harry’s lives – couldn’t report on this apparent meeting until this footage emerged.

  9. Interested Gawker says:

    This isn’t cool, this person should have had more self control and not posted about this.

    Yet, I’m still like
    🥰🥰🥰

  10. Hypocrisy says:

    Truly is awful that people don’t have more self restraint especially when they can see this isn’t a public engagement, but a private dinner.. I guess one good thing is they didn’t sell the footage to the fail.

    • sunnyside up says:

      The Wail has got loads of pictures from outside of them meeting.

      • Magdalena says:

        So either the people in the restaurant who filmed her were part of the media or the Fail and others got news that Meghan would be at the restaurant (leaked by staff?) and planted people inside and staked out the outside. Should not be difficult to trace and plug that leak.

        People in the US, even very poor ones, went out of their way to protect Meghan’s privacy, yet so-called “well-heeled” people have been repeatedly endangering her life by leaking her whereabouts for a few bucks since she arrived in the UK (how poverty-stricken and how ghetto -as my nephew would say- are these people???) while insisting that she does not need armed protection. May they reap what they have sown, many times over.

        Remember how Meghan visited and worked with the ladies of Grenfell’s Hubb Community Kitchen for around 8 or 9 MONTHS before the wedding and not one of them leaked the information to the media, even though their families clearly knew about it? Those people, who have been looked down on and denigrated by many, have far more class in their little fingers than these videographers and photographers.

      • Cindy says:

        Its and exclusive in the mail so I assume that only they were there. Not sure how that happens?

  11. Lili says:

    I’m so glad to see her connecting with people in the same vein as she has in the past, i hope this means there is a project in the works with a future release date. Good for her. On another note one could distance ones self and say it was the mum’s that lacked discretion but Claridges diners i bet they will be miffed when they take your phones at the door. are we going to get more of this, we didnt get this when they were in montecito. Brits should be ashamed

  12. Magdalena says:

    Sorry, I’m going to rant. Those arseholes who posted that video thought they were being clever, “just taking a group photo (video)”, but it’s clear that the main/sole purpose was to capture images of Meghan, by the way the woman who would have blocked the view of Meghan is perching weirdly on her chair to ensure the unobstructed vision. The prat holding the camera actually focussed on Meghan instead of on the people at his/her table who were pretending to be toasting each other – presumably as an excuse for holding up a camera/phone in the restaurant. I am not impressed. Her privacy is still being invaded, and I’m astonished that a place like Claridges would allow something like this. And some wonder why really wealthy people avoid certain establishments or choose to book private rooms when they dine out. I’d be surprised if she visits Claridges again.

    Seems everyone in the UK is broke as hell and on the make, and Meghan is their guaranteed meal ticket. No wonder they keep whinging about the price of luxury chocolates and hampers and advent calendars. Ugh.

  13. Puff Updater says:

    Strong women get the foxy guys, evidently.

  14. MidnightSuperNova says:

    This is a bit stalkery but I love seeing Meghan and Malala just living & making the world better in their own ways.

  15. IdlesAtCranky says:

    So… Princess Meghan just popped up to London from the Cotswolds, and nobody knew she was on the move until she was already at her meet-up?

    Is it just me, or does it seem like maybe the Sussexes have a better handle on their UK security than has been assumed by quite a few observers?

  16. QuiteContrary says:

    I wonder if Meghan was carrying that tote because she also did a little shopping in London.

    Anyway … if there are two famous people I’d love to dine with, Meghan and Malala would be it. Add Michelle Obama — the third M in a trifecta of fascinating and impactful women — and it would be a dream.

    Glad Meghan feels safe enough to be out and about. Guessing her personal security was close by.

  17. Robin Webb says:

    Yes! Adding Michelle Obama! Plus I need to know about that bag!

  18. B says:

    They both look great! These little glimpses of Meghan out and about in the UK are so reassuring. I imagine it must also be healing for her and a great testament to the power and control she and Harry now have over their lives.

  19. Gemini says:

    Unpopular opinion: I think Meghan and also Malala knew that they were going to be seen in public together and they are ok with that. Meghan is very intentional who she is seen having lunch with when it signifies a shared purpose or collaboration. Like the time we saw her in NY with Gloria Steinhem. This is very different from the pub lunch with Ellen and Portia.

    I love her wide legged pants, such a great autumn look with the cashmere coat.

  20. Fredi says:

    Love Claridge’s….tacky AF that those people filmed them…

  21. Pumpkin says:

    Once again, I am very glad that Meghan continues to live her life on her own terms.

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