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After back to back engagements and the launch of four successful patronages, the Duchess of Sussex is taking a well-earned break—in New York!

Sources reveal to BAZAAR.com that Duchess Meghan has made a personal visit to the Big Apple to see friends ahead of the birth of Baby Sussex in less two months.

Meghan flew from London to New York on Friday, February 15, for five nights of rest, shopping, and good food with some of her closest and most loyal pals—her first time in NYC since getting married.

“The trip is a lovely chance to catch up with friends and spend time in a city she loves,” says a source close to the duchess, who notes the trip was planned months ago. “This will be the last time a lot of them will see Meg until after the baby is born so it’s nice to share precious moments.”

While Meghan is spending much of her days enjoying the amenities and private dining arrangements available at her five-star hotel (name respectfully withheld for security reasons), there has also been time to enjoy some of her favorite spots in the city.

Joined by stylist pal Jessica Mulroney, who was in town for Good Morning America commitments, the pair visited Ladurée in New York’s SoHo district on Saturday, February 16, for macarons and tea in one of the bakery’s private spaces.

Adds a source, “It’s been a relaxing visit. Nothing beats face time with your friends. Meg will be flying home refreshed and relaxed—and with a lot of new baby clothes.”

Just a day before traveling, the duchess spent a quiet Valentine’s Day with Prince Harry at their Kensington Palace home—a world away from what she once described as the perfect Valentine’s in NYC.

In a February 2016 post on her lifestyle blog The Tig, Meghan wrote, “This Valentine’s Day I will be with friends, running amok through the streets of New York, likely imbibing some cocktail that’s oddly pink, and jumping over icy mounds in my new shoes through the salted snowy streets of the West Village.”

Later this week, Meghan will be taking her last flight until after the birth. She’s headed to Morocco with her husband for an official two-day visit to North Africa arranged by the British government.

Says a Palace spokesman of the February 23–25 trip, “The Duke and Duchess are looking forward to the visit which will highlight the vital roles that girls’ education and youth empowerment are playing in, and shaping, modern Morocco.”

Source: https://www.harpersbazaar.com

Meghan Markle was at the British Fashion Awards in London on Monday night to present Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller—the designer of her wedding gown— with the British Designer Womenswear Award. Meghan also had no choice but to make headlines with her belly at this stage in her pregnancy, and she stood in a way that showcased it in her formfitting, one-shouldered Givenchy gown.

Keller said in her speech that she “got to know Meghan on such a personal level. And to have someone like that trust you in an incredible moment in their life is something that is just the most unbelievable honor, and I can’t thank you enough because it was just the most beautiful moment. Thank you.”

Introducing Keller, Meghan acknowledged the “familiar faces” she’s gotten to know since she has lived in England. “As all of you in this room know, we have a deep connection to what we wear,” she said, as she introduced Keller. “Sometimes it’s very personal, sometimes it’s emotional. But for me, this connection is rooted in really being able to understand that it’s about supporting and empowering each other, especially women.”

Since she and Prince Harry announced the news of their new arrival in mid-October, Meghan has been seen out on many public outings, including their trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga. But at several engagements, including a recent visit to the Hubb Community Kitchen, Meghan has dressed in a way that deliberately de-emphasized her stomach. Tonight’s Givenchy gown marks a change in strategy—or perhaps, at what’s reportedly the six-month mark of her pregnancy, a recognition that it will be impossible to hide from here on out.

Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/

The Duchess of Sussex has held private talks with Michelle Obama after watching her speak on female empowerment, royal protocol and the challenges facing black women in the public eye.

The Duchess, whose public work is expected to focus heavily on advocacy for women, watched Mrs Obama speak at the South Bank Centre in London on Monday night, joining an audience of 2,700 people to hear the former First Lady’s advice about life.

Afterwards, the pair met privately backstage for a convivial conversation: the first time they have spoken directly despite their shared professional interests.

The Duchess, who attended the event with staff rather than her husband the Duke, was spotted by members of the public during the evening, and is understood to have enjoyed a warm personal discussion with Mrs Obama afterwards.

The meeting is likely to have been particularly appreciated by the Duchess, who has faced a difficult few weeks in the public eye fuelled by news that the Sussexes are moving away from their in-laws at Kensington Palace.

The pair share a common interest in women’s empowerment, with their husbands already firm friends after working together to promote the Invictus Games.

The Duchess will announce her next projects for her work in the Royal Family, as well as her first charity patronages, in the new year.

Last week, Mrs Obama offered advice to the Duchess in a magazine interview, recommending that she “take some time and don’t be in a hurry to do anything”.

At the live event at the South Bank, publicising her autobiography,

Mrs Obama spoke on topics from the Queen’s alleged dismissal of royal protocol as “rubbish” to her disdain for fashion designers who “treat their staff badly”.

In an on-stage interview, Mrs Obama may inadvertently offered words of comfort to the Duchess who has faced criticism for “breaching protocol” with some of her fashion choices since joining the Royal Family.

The American speaker said of her visit to the Queen in 2016, where she was ushered into a waiting car with Her Majesty and Prince Philip: “I had all this protocol buzzing in my head …and she [the Queen] says ‘Oh it’s all rubbish, just get in’.”

Mrs Obama also offered words of wisdom to newlyweds, admitting: “When I talk to young people just starting to get married, I say: there are going to be huge chunks of time where you want to push him out the window.”

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk