Meghan Markle revealed she “felt uncomfortable being out in the world” as a working royal and “longed for security” in a speech at Oprah’s book event.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, attended her friend Oprah’s book club session at Godmothers Bookstore in Summerland, located just a few miles from where she lives in Montecito, California, on Saturday.
The mother of two, wearing a £315 Club Monaco jumpsuit, was photographed sitting in the front row before taking the stage to briefly address the group, where she spoke about the solace she has found in bookstores.
According City and CountrysideThe duchess detailed visiting a bookstore during her trip to New York in 2019, when Meghan’s A-list friends threw her a baby shower in one of the most expensive suites at the Mark Hotel in Manhattan.
The Duchess said: ‘For me, going to New York five years ago was a big deal.
Pictured: Meghan Markle seen on stage at Oprah’s book club event at Godmothers Bookstore in Summerland last Friday.
“I felt very uncomfortable being in the world. I knew I could find the security I longed for in a bookstore.”
The Duchess then thanked Godmothers Bookshop founders Rudolph Walsh and Victoria Jackson for “holding the space for so many people to feel seen through the pages, whether in laughter, in pain, in feeling less alone.”
After the event, the publication reports that Meghan said: “Wasn’t that amazing?”
The Duchess is then said to have “ran to the door” and told the guests: “I have to prepare dinner for the children.”
Other high-profile guests at Saturday’s event included Glee actress Jane Lynch and author Elizabeth Holmes, who wrote the 2020 book HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style, which included an analysis of Meghan’s wardrobe.
The bookstore is promoting several popular books about celebrities, including Meghan’s children’s book The Bench and Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, which can be found front and center in the store, on its “hometown heroes” shelf.
Meghan’s comments about her personal security come after the Mail on Sunday reported that Prince Harry is pressing ahead with his legal battle against the Home Office over his taxpayer-funded security.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given full, publicly funded protection before stepping back as working royals and moving to Montecito, California, in 2020.
During her speech at the book event, Meghan Markle (pictured with Prince Harry in October 2019) said she “craved security” and “felt uncomfortable being out in the world” when she was a working royal.
Meghan Markle pictured with her son Archie and daughter Lilibet at their home in Montecito, California
The couple will continue to receive protection when they return to Britain in specific circumstances, but will need to give 28 days’ notice of their plans.
For the past three years, Prince Harry has been fighting to restore his round-the-clock security while in the UK, which is understood to be part of his desire to return to Britain more regularly.
After the event at Godmothers bookstore on Saturday, psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson praised Meghan as one of the “illuminating speakers” of the night.
Oprah Winfrey, who was the evening’s keynote speaker, has been a close friend of the Duchess for several years and attended the Royal Wedding in May 2018.
At a launch party for the bookstore last week, Prince Harry named Oprah Winfrey as one of his “fairy godmothers,” which is said to have inspired the name of the business.
According to Town & Country, the royal couple arrived in a “blacked-out Range Rover” and warmly greeted other guests, including Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Lynch and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, at the venue.
Pictured: Meghan Markle reading her children’s book The Bench, which is being sold at the new Godmothers bookstore
The Sussexes enjoyed an evening out with “friends and family” including literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh (left) and cosmetics star Victoria Jackson (right) last week.
Town & Country also revealed that Prince Harry, 39, played a role in choosing the bookstore’s name, as at his own book launch party in Beverley Hills, he thanked Oprah, Victoria and Jennifer for being his “fairy godmothers.” Pictured: The bookstore’s decor
After Jennifer and Victoria shared a few brief words with their intimate audience, Meghan, 43, who was wearing a chic Ralph Lauren top and matching white pants, was heard yelling “Woo!”
Photos from the event show a smiling and glamorous Duchess hugging the talk show host who interviewed them for their explosive 2021 broadcast.
Their relationship appears to have grown even stronger over the years after the Sussexes moved into a $14 million mansion in Montecito, which is just a stone’s throw from Oprah’s sprawling home.
Oprah even publicly weighed in on whether she thought they should attend King Charles’ coronation in May 2023.
“I think they should do what they think is best for themselves and their families. That’s what I think,” he said on CBS Mornings before the event, adding: “I haven’t been asked for my opinion.”
Harry ultimately attended the coronation without Meghan and left immediately after the ceremony to return to California.
Pictured: Meghan Markle leaving the Mark Hotel in Manhattan, where her baby shower was held in 2019
Meghan Markle has spoken out about how her friends “surprised” her with a “beautiful” baby shower at The Mark Hotel in Manhattan when she was expecting her son Archie (pictured: The Duchess with friends including Abigail Spencer, Daniel Martin, Misha Nonoo, Serena Williams and Lindsay Roth)
In one photo, Meghan, dressed in a navy polka dot dress, can be seen laughing with her friends.
In the couple’s 2022 Netflix docuseries, Meghan opened up about her “beautiful” baby shower in New York.
The Duchess celebrated the impending birth of her son by flying to the Big Apple on a private jet in 2019. Around 20 friends attended the five-day celebration, including Serena Williams.
Speaking on the show, Meghan recalled: ‘My friends surprised me with a really beautiful baby shower in New York.
‘They said, ‘We’re going to shower her with love and shower her baby with love, she’s going to survive this and we’re going to get through this with her.’
Meanwhile, Meghan’s friend Silver Tree said: “It’s like a really magical moment where we just celebrate her.”
Serena added: “It was so cool and fun to try to have an intimate moment.”
Guests at the event included Meghan’s makeup artist Daniel Martin, her former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer and her former best friend Jessica Mulroney.
Meanwhile, Misha Nonoo, Serena Williams and close friend Lindsay Roth can also be seen posing in snaps from the 2019 event.
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