The Duchess of Sussex has skipped all of her husband’s public engagements in the past five days. He had two Invictus events (including a gala fundraiser) last week, and on Monday, he attended the WellChild Awards solo. Everyone thought that Meghan was simply being very conservative and judicious about where and when she was seen. But maybe not so much? Because Page Six got exclusive pics of Meghan out with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi on Monday. The pics were clearly taken on someone’s phone, and that someone was not a paparazzo.
Meghan Markle broke cover in the United Kingdom on Monday, mingling with fellow A-list expat Ellen DeGeneres at a pub. The duo were spotted chatting at The Three Horshoes near Burford, Oxfordshire, on Monday, along with DeGenere’s wife, Portia de Rossi, in photos obtained by Page Six.
The Cotswolds outing marked the “Suits” alum’s first time being seen in public since relocating to England with husband Prince Harry and their two kids in August.
The actress, 45, was “chatting and laughing” with DeGeneres, 63, and de Rossi, 53, at the 18th-century establishment, according to an eyewitness. Markle bid the couple goodbye before departing.
She cut a casual figure in a light blue top, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and white pants. The Duchess of Sussex wore her hair down, completing her look with white sneakers and a pair of sunglasses.
What’s funny about this is that royalists were building up anticipation for the “first Meghan sighting in the UK,” and they were trying to make Meghan sound like she was masterminding some huge British comeback in which she would eventually turn up at a public event in a big, button-covered gown. Sources even told Rob Shuter a few days ago: “Her first appearance will be photographed, dissected and debated around the world. She knows the stakes and isn’t rushing anything. She only gets one comeback. Why waste it? If Meghan can control the timing, she’d rather step out when the Sussexes have something important to announce or promote.” And then she just… hangs out in a pub with Ellen and Portia. If there is a strategy at play, it’s not the one being obsessively analyzed by royalists. There are two options: either the strategy is “normalize Meghan being seen in low-key and casual outings in the UK” OR there’s no strategy whatsoever, and Meghan is just doing whatever she wants.
See Meghan Markle’s first UK outing with fellow A-list transplant https://t.co/j6Zu3U9RyD pic.twitter.com/d79Feo9G9n
— Page Six (@PageSix) September 21, 2026
Meghan Markle spotted in UK for first time since move as she mingles with fellow A-list transplant https://t.co/CsXtkLkARG pic.twitter.com/injWK99tqq
— Page Six (@PageSix) September 21, 2026
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- Duchess of Sussex takes part in the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, Victoria, on day three of the royal trip to Australia. The Scar Tree Walk is a journey connecting traditional and contemporary Aboriginal cultures and histories of the Kulin Nation Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 16 Apr 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Sydney, AUSTRALIA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Bondi Beach Life Guards and greet the public at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 17 APRIL 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Sydney, AUSTRALIA Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – Visit Sydney, Australia – Sydney Harbour sailing with Invictus Australia. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 17 APRIL 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: Brandon Voight / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Sydney, AUSTRALIA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spend the afternoon on Sydney Harbour sailing with Invictus Australia. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 17 APRIL 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: KHAP / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Sydney, AUSTRALIA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spend the afternoon on Sydney Harbour sailing with Invictus Australia. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 17 APRIL 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: KHAP / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Duchess of Sussex takes part in a model making activity with veterans and their families at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (Anvam) in Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria, on day one of the royal trip to Australia. Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 14 Apr 2026 Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Duchess of Sussex takes part in a model making activity with veterans and their families at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (Anvam) in Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria, on day one of the royal trip to Australia. Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 14 Apr 2026 Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme, at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, on day three of the royal trip to Australia Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 16 Apr 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duchess of Sussex meets young advocates during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme, at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, on day three of the royal trip to Australia Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 16 Apr 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme, at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, on day three of the royal trip to Australia Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 16 Apr 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk along the boardwalk after meeting volunteer first responders from Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club, during a visit to Bondi Beach, on day four of the royal trip to Australia. Volunteers from the organisation, founded in 1907, played an integral role in protecting beachgoers and saving lives during the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach on December 14 Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: Bondi, Australia When: 17 Apr 2026 Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
With Charles Spencer’s book being much discussed and dissected, I don’t know they could make much room for Meghan’s casual “first” appearance, lol.
It’s just my opinion, and I’m sure I’ll get blasted for it….
But I wish Meghan had better friends.
They are probably Montecito “acquaintances”, more than friends. They’ve been to the same parties etc…but I think they have a very small circle of friends.
Fair point.
I hope you don’t. You can really like Meghan and still critique her choice in friends. Ellen deserves the side-eye, so does Tyler Perry just to name a few.
I will say that it is probably good for her to have any friendly faces around in this environment.
From an optics/PR standpoint, Ellen is a terrible choice to buddy around with, since she’s been credibly documented as terrible to her staff, and Meghan has also been accused (non-credibly in my opinion, but we don’t actually know these people!) of being unkind to her staff.
Same. I mean if we can criticize Taylor Swift for having that ICE dude at her wedding, we can say hey Meghan, Ellen is 100 percent awful. And Tyler Perry is being sued for sexual harassment and also treats his staff (the little he has) terribly.
I’m a big fan of saying “you are the company you keep” so who they are close to and hang out with often pains me as someone that generally supports them.
Agreed. After their experiences, I think H&Ms main criteria is loyalty, over basically every other consideration. Prior to Harry, Meghan’s close friends did not skew to the Ellens, David Fosters, and Tyler Perrys of this world. Probably Harry is more centre right than her, so that is part of it. But at this point, people they think they can trust and who gave them help in a time of need is their litmus test. Hopefully they can broaden those out to reflect people who (we hope) align more with their stated values.
I think Meghan judges people based on how they treat her and her personal experiences with them, not headlines or gossip or tabloid rumors or honestly even lawsuits. We can disagree with that, but my guess it comes from years of being destroyed in the press so she blocks out information that isn’t her personal experience with someone. and she trusts people who supported her through those bad years – and ellen was one of them.
For the record I dont love it either, but that’s my guess as to how Meghan views things.
@Becks1
So, if someone is very nice to me, I can ignore that they are racists?
@sillygoose, yes, that’s exactly what I said.
If you read what I said again, more carefully, you’ll see that I noted its MY GUESS for how Meghan views people, that it comes from years of being destroyed in the press (so she bases on her opinions on personal experiences because that’s how she wants someone to base their opinion of her) and that we can disagree with it.
Yep – Ellen in particular is terrible, but Portia enables her. Meghan should be aware of the optics of this outing.
Happy Meghan seems to be enjoying her best life under trying circumstances. Those gutter rats have zero clues into this woman’s mind or what her choices will be. Keep doing you Meghan let those gutter rats continue to hypothesize while you enjoy doing you. “One chance,” hilarious.
Meghan’s hair looks a bit shorter to me, can’t wait until we get proper pics.
I was wondering if they were staying with Ellen and Portia’s place.
Yuk Ellen de Generes is awful . She could do much better
She’s brave, wearing white pants to a pub.
I hope she’s happy and safe. That’s all.
Go on Duchess!!!
Kelly McKee Zajfen was also there, with her youngest — she shared a pub photo, as well as a pic of her *somewhere in England* on a prior post.
So it’s not like Meghan is somehow cut off from her friends, or living like a hermit.
I think this is what we’re going to see her of mostly while she’s in the UK – lunch or dinner outings with friends, maybe snapped shopping here or there. I imagine security wise its much easier for her team to control a pub setting than a big public event.
Her friend, Kelly McKee Zajfen, was visiting and it appears Ellen and Portia joined them for lunch. Kelly’s posted on her Instagram pictures in the UK.
We don’t know anything about the context and rich people please themselves first and foremost. I do think it’s hilarious that all that British old guard think she’s going to beg for acceptance —not so much.
Sorry, but Ellen DeGeneres remains a problematic figure, just like the Kardashians-Jenners and Chrissy Teigen. Associating with the Sussexes doesn’t absolve them of their past misdeeds.
Yeah I came here to ask if Chrissy Teigan wasn’t available? Ugh Meghan, this is not good company and you know it.
The press reported last week that RAVEC just started working on an individual threat assessment for Meghan. Apparently it had never been done before. Setting aside the firm’s clear devaluing of Meghan’s safety and life its most likely she’s not going to do big public events until thats completed and security is ironed out. Moving around privately with her security team wouldn’t be an issue.
I find it amusing they think Meghan requires a big production for her first public appearance. Meghan is a star. Wherever she goes becomes the place or thing everyone talks about it. She doesn’t have to ride coat tails like her husband’s family. That language reminds me of how they used to act like Meghan and Harry would miss something by no longer being allowed on the balcony. Does anyone care about balcony pics anymore? No, because there is no Meghan and Harry.
Stars don’t need permission or a stage to shine. Everywhere they go becomes their stage.
“Stars don’t need permission or a stage to shine.”
Beautifully stated, @B
Right, and it is her life, I doubt she is strategizing what would « look best, » or whatever to John Q. Public, especially the pasty Brit version, Sir John Quite-Public. If I had to guess, she agreed to come back for an unknown important reason that is more important to Harry than to her, and she just plans to low-key do her own thing and take care of her kids. Needing security at all would drive me absolutely ape, I don’t know how they stand it.
Yuk Ellen De Generes . She could do better than that . She is extremely problematic
The knives are out for Meghan in the Cotswolds. She’s better off hanging out with Ellen than those snobbish aristos.
Hanging out with people she knows and trusts already makes sense to me.
Trust an arsehole at the pub to sell pictures to Page Six.
Weren’t we told how celebrities are a dime a dozen in the Cotswolds and how people just shrug and no-one would notice or pay any attention to them??? That the patrons of various establishments are so well-heeled that they would just ignore the Sussexes? That what’s this then? Because we’ve always heard that Ellen and Portia spent time at their home in the UK but have they ever been photographed in the area before? Ditto the Clooneys. Christ, even the Beckhams.
These “well-heeled” people must be more broke than the papers claim if they are selling phone numbers and photographs of a private citizen to news agencies.
And this utter prat has just set the stage for Meghan to be more stalked in her local surroundings (do we know for certain that it was NOT a reporter, or reporter-adjacent?), because people will now be rushing to get images of her to sell to Page Six and other unscrupulous organisations which don’t mind invading people’s privacy (then blame her for going outside). Because it’s clear that this person kept the camera on her the entire time, right until she walked by his/her table as she left. I guess she’s not as irrelevant as they like to pretend?
Nothing much Meghan or anyone can do about folk with no scruples. She should just continue to live her life. She is not in her home country where folks were more respectful. It appears that in the UK there are more gutter rats than decent folks. Money does not change character.
Ugh. Ellen is a bully.
You have to wonder why Page Six published those pictures and not the Sun? Hopefully this means that people will stop putting so much stock into what Rob Shuter says. He doesn’t know anything about Meghan’s life. Plus it would appear that Meghan’s friend Kelly is in the UK visiting with her baby. It’s good that Meghan is just living her life and not caring about making public appearances in the UK. I going to guess that when we see Meghan in public it will be in the US not the UK. I can’t wait for the meltdown if that happens.
I’m glad Meghan is living her life on her own terms.
Don’t care for Ellen at all and think she’s awful but she’s not my friend lol. Nor would she want to be my friend.
So, everyone’s been “worried” that Meghan will stay locked in the house, but when she does venture out it’s all sour face because she’s seen with the wrong person? There’s a DM vibe to this.
Generally supporting someone we think is pretty, charismatic, and talented doesn’t mean we become the Daily Mail if we criticize any of her choices.
It kind of does – it’s part of the overall dissing of the Sussexes over their move to the UK. Every move has been criticized, why this, why that. Ok, maybe not that, but how about the other thing. We’ve known that Meghan has been friendly with Ellen for years. Yes, Ellen has been a terrible boss, but she’s evidently been a good friend. And we know that Meghan is a good friend. So, again, with all our worries that Meghan will be isolated, why gatekeep who she’s allowed to see?
Yep. I agree. There’s no pleasing people. Personally, I would find it incredibly hard to turn my back on people who had been there for me in times of great need, especially if the entire world and his wife had been doing their damndest to put me (and my unborn child) into an early grave and still continue to do so several years later, but that’s just me.
This is going to be another one of those threads where “problematic” becomes the buzzword of the day. Meanwhile, good-hearted Meghan (who, despite insinuations to the contrary, has NEVER been known to treat her staff with anything other than kindness and consideration) is catching up with her friends and visiting a pub in the sunshine with a smile on her face.
You excuse every decision by making up thoughts she must be thinking, I don’t. That doesn’t make me a hater, it makes me someone who sees her as a human with flaws and not a paragon of perfection.
If you’re responding to me, then no. I’m the one who keeps saying we know nothing.
Wow, @Meredith. Immediately on reading your post the following came to mind:
“There are folks [on this site and twitter and other socials, I would assume} who ATTACK every [Meghan] decision by making up thought she must be thinking.”
And then @Eurydice said it best (and exactly as I always say): “….we know nothing.”
Yeah I’m just happy she went out to a pub with friends. Bc there has been hand-wringing since day one about how she’ll be trapped inside. Clearly she’s not. Or that she won’t be able to use SM again. Clearly she does. So the comments that go strait to criticizing Ellen as a bully or Meghan for being friends with her, without also acknowledging that hey, it’s pretty cool that Megan is just out there living her life, feel odd to me. But hey sure.
Kaiser, how did Meghan “skip” events she was never scheduled to attend? Also, Kelly is in town visiting her and was at the lunch at Three Horseshoes. Why would Meghan leave her visiting friend to attend an event she was never supposed to be at?
Prince Harry attends events alone more often than not, so I’m not sure why anyone thought that would change in the UK. Meghan is just living her life as she always has, there’s no strategy.
I would hope there IS a strategy. They are public figures who put themselves back in a hostile environment. They need a strategy.
People are really wanting to see Meghan at some type of public event. The goal posts keep moving. Will she ever post on SM again? Will she ever her leave her house? All those have been answered. So I’d imagine at some point, she will be seen at a public event, but it’s not going to be on the time table people want. Bc yes, she would go months without us seeing her before. We’ll see her when we see her. It’s like damn. And whatever strategy they have as a couple, as soon as they revealed it, that would get nitpicked too, so why tell anyone, please.
Thank you. She’s just living her life. Is Ellen a jerk? Yes. But she and her wife also supported Meghan and Harry when they first moved to L.A. That means a lot when you’ve been abused and harassed the way Meghan was.
While I wouldn’t personally be friends with Ellen, that isn’t Meghan’s experience. Besides, Meghan is also close friends with Gloria Steinem—so yes, the company you keep speaks volumes.
I kind of hope that she decided to take the month of September off for the kids and family then plan to get back to public work on October.
The United for Freedom auction gala is on October 1st and would be a really nice start. Harry can auction her and himself for a nice meal somewhere.
You are the company you keep.
I thought Ellen sold her house on the Cotswolds