Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, hosted a special Thanksgiving dinner event for Afghan women through the Archewell Foundation’s Southern California Welcome Project, marking one of several recent solo appearances amid reports of professional changes with husband, Prince Harry.
Markle, 43, attended the intimate gathering at Our Place, founded by Shiza Shahid, where participants shared personal stories and cultural experiences while preparing traditional Afghan dishes including Ashak and Mantuu.
In a statement released through the Archewell Foundation, Markle expressed her appreciation for the evening: “This initiative, led by the partner organisation Mina’s List, has spent the past year building community through storytelling and creating a safe space for women who have resettled in the U.S. from Afghanistan.”
The event highlighted Mina’s List’s ongoing work since 2014 with women activists and political leaders in Afghanistan. The organization has helped evacuate and resettle over 2,000 Afghan women and families through independent and coalition efforts since 2021.
While Markle hosted the dinner in California, Prince Harry, 40, was notably occupied with Invictus Games-related events in Vancouver, Canada. The couple has increasingly participated in separate engagements in recent months.
Despite their individual schedules, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex maintain their joint commitment to various causes. They recently appeared together in a video for Veterans Day, discussing the Archewell Foundation’s efforts to protect children’s online safety.
The Archewell Foundation continues to demonstrate significant impact across various initiatives. Recent accomplishments include providing 3,176 hours of trauma-informed mental health support to individuals in Turkey following an earthquake, delivering menstrual products and health education to 2,500 girls in Nigeria, and bringing together 237 women through The Welcome Project.
Markle, who resides in Montecito, California, with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, has previously shared her appreciation for Thanksgiving celebrations. She told Marie Claire magazine that the holiday is typically “pretty low-key” for their family, often including her mother, Doria Ragland.
Meghan and Harry are set to appear at the Invictus Games in Canada in February 2025. The Duchess has suggested that their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who typically stay out of the spotlight, may also be present.