PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have appeared together for the first time since the Duke reunited with his father during his UK trip.
Harry, 41, and Meg, 44, joined a star-studded guest list at the One805LIVE! charity concert in California, US, last night.
The couple put on a loved-up display at the glitzy event, hosted by Hollywood star Kevin Costner at his luxurious Santa Barbara estate.
Meg wore a sleeveless, dark shirtdress with a cinched waist, while Harry co-ordinated with his wife in a black shirt, trousers and blazer.
They gave a speech at the gala, which looks to raise funds for equipment and mental health programs for local first responders.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also took time to speak with some of the crew from Santa Barbara County during the bash.
It comes just weeks after Harry met with his father, King Charles, for the first time in 19 months during his four-day stay in the UK.
Harry had not seen Charles since he jetted back for 30 minutes last February, following the King’s cancer announcement.
The King flew back from Balmoral between three official audiences for the “private tea” between the two, which lasted just 55 minutes.
It means Harry flew 5,000 miles from LA to spend less than an hour inside his father’s home – still almost double the time he got last year.
Harry discussed the reunion while on a surprise trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, just days after the face-to-face meeting between the pair.
And when quizzed on the possibility of further meetings with the King, Harry said: “The focus really has to be on my dad”.
Speaking on his brief return to Britain, a spokesperson for the Duke said he “loved being back”.
After his visit, Harry returned to his home in California, US, in time to celebrate his 41st birthday with his family.
To mark his birthday, Meg shared a picture of her husband – whose name patch says Harry Wales – from just after he had left the army.
The pic was posted with the caption: “Oh hi, Birthday Boy.”
It appears to have been taken in September 2015 when he took part in an RAF flypast at Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex.
It came just weeks after he’d left the military earlier that summer – and was taken prior to meeting Meghan.
But while some saw it as a ‘throwback’, news commentator Samara Gill told The Sun’s Matt Wilkinson, ”there’s a lot to pick up on there”.
”Even the caption itself was extremely bare. It was sort of, oh, hi, happy birthday,” the expert shared on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show.
”It’s so random for all that they’ve been through… their struggle they proclaim to have, to put such a barefaced Instagram post.”
She claims the birthday post ”didn’t make sense” and added: ”I do think that there is trouble brewing under the surface”.
Harry has barely spoken to his family since Megxit in 2020, which saw him and Meghan step down as working royals and move to the US.
They ditched royal life to live in a multi-million pound mansion in celebrity neighbourhood Montecito with Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
At the time, he filmed his move to California and called it his “freedom flight”.
Among the celebrity guests at the charity gala yesterday was US media personality Oprah Winfrey.
In 2021, a bitter feud ignited when the Sussexes sat down with Oprah and publicly criticised the Royal Family.
During the infamous interview, the couple said certain members of the firm had speculated about Prince Archie’s skin colour.
Meghan also made stinging comments and claims about how they handled her mental health struggles.
The late Queen released a statement two days after her grandson and his wife gave what they claimed to be their side to Oprah.
Her response read: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.
“Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
The shocking sit-down and subsequent revelations came a year before Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022.
Harry and Meghan have since been accused of making the Queen’s last few years a “complete misery” by a royal expert.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Royal commentator Phil Dampier claimed people would not be able to forgive the Sussexes.
He said: “I just think that she worked her whole life trying to make sure that the monarchy succeeded after her.
“And the legacy was the most important thing to her and the Commonwealth, of course, as well.
“It must have been absolutely heartbreaking for her to see what was happening with Prince Andrew…
“… and what was happening with Harry and Meghan leaving in her final years.
“To cope with that as she was approaching the end and Prince Philip died… all this happened right at the end of her life.
“I think it must have been absolutely heartbreaking for her.”
During Donald Trump’s historic second State Visit last week, he took a subtle swipe at Harry during his speech at the lavish state banquet.
When praising Prince William, the US President said the King had raised a “remarkable son”.
This comment seemed to ignore Prince Harry and Trump later took a dig at the Prince’s philanthropic work.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/15225760/meghan-markle-prince-harry-charity-event-king-charles/
