Meghan Markle’s solo visit to a Los Angeles gala without Prince Harry is part of a new plan that will see them holding more separate events, a friend said today.
The Sussexes will continue to have joint commitments, but they will also be seen alone in public, more often, as they pursue their own passions.
Prince Harry has been away from home for a fortnight on a pseudo-royal tour of New York, London and South Africa.
And Meghan was at a glitzy gala at a children’s hospital in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Insiders have said this reflects a new change of direction in the couple’s life. public lives.
‘The Duke and Duchess have reached their peak as individuals, not just as a couple. “The Duke seems focused on his patronage work and the Duchess focused on her business career,” said a friend of the Sussexes.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attended the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala alone on Saturday night
Meghan meets a young woman invited to the gala
Meghan (pictured) enjoying chatting with her friend Kelly McKee in downtown Los Angeles. One expert said she looked “lost; without Harry
Prince Harry has been touring the world supporting causes close to his heart over the past fortnight, including South Africa (pictured on Friday).
Harry and Meghan are following a ‘two-track approach’ that will see them do more solo events, a friend reportedly said.
The source told People: “It’s clear that a two-track approach is evolving.”
Meghan Markle stepped out alone on Saturday night, but repeatedly squeezed her friend Kelly McKee tightly, holding her hand on the red carpet.
A body language expert said she seemed “lost” without her husband.
At the event, she spoke about the joys of motherhood and praised a children’s hospital during a gala in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, who was at the event without her husband Prince Harry on Saturday, revealed she was “happy to be there to support” LA Children’s Hospital.
“The work they do is from another world,” he commented.
“And I think from my point of view as a mother, no one wants to be in a position where you need to go to a place like this, but if you have to, the best place in the world you could go would be Children’s Hospital LA.
“And I have close friends who still have their kids there going through treatments from high school, close mom friends who are now having their kids.”
Meghan Markle talked about being a mother and praised a children’s hospital during a gala in Los Angeles
Meghan, who shares Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, with the Duke of Sussex, said “the staff are amazing”.
He added: “I think the amount of work they do for families who really can’t afford this level of care should never be overlooked.”
Elsewhere at the event, he enjoyed a sweet moment when he told a child “it’s past your bedtime.”
Footage shows the Duchess greeting a family before joking with a young child about staying up so late.
“It’s probably past your bedtime,” Megan said as she addressed the boy, who was being held by his mother.
And he added: ‘How old are they? Oh, very close to our children. Three and five.
Meghan has spoken many times about her experiences with motherhood.
In May, she said she fulfilled her dream of being a mother when spoke about her ‘sweet, very talkative children’ during the second day of her Nigerian tour with Harry.
Meghan and Kelly held hands as they posed for photos.
The duchess was speaking in a Women in Leadership event that she co-hosted with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization.
Meghan told the audience how much she loves being a mother, but admitted that balancing her family and career posed its own challenges.
During the talk, Meghan was asked how she juggled being a mother with her career and she responded: “I love being a mother.”
Despite her friend and mentor telling her more than ten years ago that she would never be able to balance the demands of motherhood and her job, the duchess said she enjoys being a mother and her priorities are constantly changing.
During the panel discussion, Meghan said the “balance” in her life has changed over the years and looks different than it did ten years ago, before she got married and had Archie and Lilibet.
Meghan pictured posing for photos with CHLA President Paul Viviano at the event in Los Angeles
Meghan pictured smiling with Viviano, CHLA president, at the children’s gala on Saturday night.
Meghan spent last night greeting young fans while attending the event in downtown Los Angeles.
The duchess went single to the event at the LA Live event platform in downtown Los Angeles while her husband, Prince Harry, spent the night of his 40th birthday walking with some friends.
The couple have made a number of separate plans, including Harry’s solo trips to London and Lesotho in recent weeks.
Meghan, who shares Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, with the Duke of Sussex, said “the staff are amazing”.
She said: ‘What I think that means now is that that balance will always change for you. That balance, what seemed balanced ten years ago, is going to change.”
It comes as Meghan turned heads when she once again wore a striking red Carolina Herrera dress at Saturday’s children’s event.
She previously wore the stunning dress to a 2021 gala in New York City to celebrate the military in the run-up to Veterans Day in the US and Armistice Day in Britain.
He greeted young fans before preparing for a star-studded night featuring a performance by Demi Lovato and appearances by hosts Kaley Cuoco, Jamie Lee Curtis and Colin Hanks.
It comes after Harry and Meghan made a series of separate plans, including Harry’s solo trips to London and Lesotho in recent weeks.
The duke has appeared at ten solo engagements in the past 15 days without his wife as he embarked on a “quasi-royal tour” of three countries including New York, London and Lesotho.
It was also reported that Meghan was unable to attend a charity event she was due to attend with Prince Harry because she was “sick.”
And when Prince Harry was joking with talk show host Jimmy Fallon in New York, movie star George Clooney – invited to their wedding in 2018 – was hosting a humanitarian awards ceremony in the Big Apple – and Harry was noticeably absent.