Meghan Markle "made a dash for the door" from a glitzy event as the Duchess of Sussex cited her children Archie and Lilibet as reasons for leaving.
The 43-year-old had to make a quick exit from the grand opening of Godmothers, a bookstore near her home in Montecito, California, on September 7.
The duchess moved to Montecito with her husband Prince Harry in 2020, and lives there with their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
After sharing remarks and listening to others from the front row, Meghan “made a dash for the door,” according to reports in Town & Country.
Meghan Markle admits she 'must make dinner for Archie and Lilibet' as duchess makes quick exitPA“Wasn’t that incredible?” Meghan said of the evening’s program.
As she was leaving, the duchess apologetically said: “I’ve got to make dinner for the kids.”
The grand opening was the second night of a two-day celebration for the bookstore, owned by literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson.
On the first night, Meghan was joined by Prince Harry, 39, at the friends and family party, during which the Duke of Sussex pointed to his memoir, Spare, when asked if he had a book recommendation.
Lilibet and Archie are growing up in Montecito, California
NetflixBoth Spare and Meghan’s 2021 children’s book, The Bench, are featured in the store’s “Our Local Authors” display.
The book, which she wrote to “depict another side of masculinity — one grounded in connection, emotion and softness,” according to a blog post she wrote at the time, became a New York Times bestseller, as did Spare upon its release in 2023.
For the first night, Meghan wore an ivory Ralph Lauren tank, long trousers and black Aquazzura shoes.
She greeted people with kisses to both cheeks as “Harry turned handshakes into back-slapping hugs”.
Meghan and Harry live nearby Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres
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On the second night, the Duchess of Sussex reflected on visiting a bookstore in New York City in 2019, while still a working royal.
Meghan was in NYC to watch her friend, Serena Williams, play in the US Open. Before anyone could figure out she was in town, she went for a walk to a bookstore.
The duchess said: “For me, sneaking to New York five years ago was a really big deal. I was still so uncomfortable being out in the world. The safety of what I was craving, I knew I could find in a bookstore.”