Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were photographed holding hands Thursday, Oct. 1, as they walked into The Falkland Arms, a 16th century pub in the village of Great Tew, Oxfordshire. The photos, published by The Sun the next day, mark the couple’s first public outing together since moving their family back to the U.K. in late August. Meghan ordered gluten free beer battered haddock and chips with mushy peas, while Harry went with a chicken, ham and leek pie.
That same Thursday, Meghan was posting pictures of her own. While the tabloid photos showed a couple heading to lunch, her Instagram showed a woman with no makeup, a baseball cap and a secret she wasn’t ready to spill.
Where did Meghan Markle and Harry have their pub date?
The Falkland Arms sits in Great Tew, a picture perfect village on the edge of the Cotswolds, the region west of London where the family has settled. Both kept it casual. Meghan wore sunglasses, a black sweater, dark pants and white sneakers. Harry wore jeans, a fall jacket and a Santa Barbara Fire Department cap, a nod to the California life they left behind.
A pub insider told The Sun that everyone gets treated like a local there, and the Sussexes acted like locals too. The visit was not a one off. Meghan had eaten at the same pub the week before with her friend Kelly McKee Zajfen and Zajfen’s infant son.
What was Meghan Markle posting the same day?
On Oct. 1, Meghan shared an Instagram Story in which she appeared makeup free, wearing a cap from the couple’s recent trip to Australia, while teasing a new project and hinting that some things are worth waiting for.
Her brand had news that day too. As Ever opened presales Oct. 1 for an Advent calendar made with Compartés, featuring 24 chocolates with flavors inspired by earlier As Ever products like fruit spreads, jams and floral sprinkles. The couple’s dog Pula even made a cameo in her stories.
This is a pattern. On Sept. 13, Meghan posted a video of her first weeks in England showing her and Harry splashing in puddles on a woodland path while Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, fished in a pond.
Why does it matter who holds the camera for Meghan Markle?
For years, the British tabloids told Meghan’s story for her. The couple has spoken about racism in that coverage, and many Black women watched those headlines with a familiar ache. Now she is back in the same country, and she is choosing her own frame first.
The pub photos read as harmless. The family has drawn a harder line around their children. Archie and Lilibet switched schools after just two days, reportedly because their security team found the route too long and too busy. Then photographers were spotted around the new school. The couple’s spokesperson called that behavior reckless, arguing that watching children through a school fence is not legitimate journalism, especially so soon after an alleged terror plot at RAF Fairford.
A lunch date in daylight is one thing. Lenses pointed at kids on a playground are another.
What comes next for Meghan Markle in Britain?
Harry has kept a busy schedule since the move, from the WellChild Awards to the Invictus Spirit Gala and a black tie event supporting Ukraine. Meghan has stayed lower profile, with insiders saying she has focused on settling the children while running As Ever from England.
The project she teased on Instagram is still under wraps. Whatever it turns out to be, expect Meghan to post it herself before anyone else gets the shot.
