Meghan Markle has been photographed catching up with two familiar faces from her California neighborhood. The Duchess of Sussex joined Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at an Oxfordshire pub on September 21, meeting her longtime friends nearly a month after returning to Britain with Prince Harry and their children.
The three met at The Three Horseshoes near Burford, with Page Six publishing photographs from the afternoon visit. Meghan wore white pants, a light blue button-down shirt, white sneakers and sunglasses, according to HOLA!, which described the meeting as her first photographed public outing since the family’s return.
It was not her first reported sighting. Meghan and Harry had already been spotted together at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire after arriving in Britain on August 26 with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, PEOPLE reported. Photographs of that earlier visit were not published.
Harry was in London for the WellChild Awards the same day. Meghan did not accompany him to the ceremony; her afternoon involved a private reunion with friends who, like the Sussexes, have spent time living on both sides of the Atlantic.
Meghan and Harry Were Guests at Ellen and Portia’s Vow Renewal
In January 2023, Meghan and Harry attended what guests expected to be de Rossi’s 50th birthday party. It became a surprise vow renewal, with Kris Jenner officiating and de Rossi changing into the wedding gown she had worn in 2008. PEOPLE reported that the Sussexes were among the guests shown in the video released through The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Meghan had appeared on the talk show herself in November 2021, discussing family life and her early acting career. During the 2021 interview, she recalled driving to auditions on the Warner Bros. lot in an old Ford Explorer Sport. When the driver’s door stopped opening properly, she would climb through the back of the vehicle to get inside.
DeGeneres and de Rossi moved to the Cotswolds in November 2024, but they have not given up their California connections. In February 2026, PEOPLE confirmed that they had purchased a new home in Montecito. An insider told the magazine that DeGeneres would continue dividing her time between England and California rather than moving back to the United States full-time.
The Sussexes Are Keeping Their Montecito Home
Harry and Meghan’s return has also been described as an arrangement that preserves their California home. In its August reporting, PEOPLE said the couple planned to establish a private home base in Britain for an extended period while retaining their Montecito residence. Archie and Lilibet were enrolled to attend school in the U.K.
Meghan had already shared scenes from the family’s time in Britain before the pub photographs appeared. Her September 13 family video included her walking outdoors with Harry and Archie running alongside Lilibet as she rode a bicycle, according to PEOPLE’s account of the Instagram post.
A source close to the couple told the magazine that settling the children remained their priority. “Everything else will fall into place when the time is right,” the source said. The couple’s stay does not mark a return to the working royal roles they left in 2020.
Harry Was in London for the WellChild Awards
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At the Royal Lancaster Hotel, Harry met award winners and their families before taking part in the ceremony. WellChild confirmed that he presented the Inspirational Child award for ages 4 to 6 to six-year-old Margot Jones-Billington. The event recognizes children and young people living with serious illnesses, alongside the people who care for them.
This year’s ceremony also marked the 20th anniversary of the charity’s nursing program. In his speech, Harry discussed how the program helps children receive care at home and supports their families beyond the transition out of hospital.
The appearance followed his attendance at the inaugural Invictus gala at London’s Old Royal Naval College on September 17. Asked by PEOPLE at that earlier event how things were going, Harry replied, “Good. It’s good to be back on British soil.”