Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were treated like regular customers as the couple enjoyed a relaxed £36 pub lunch together in the Cotswolds. The outing marked the couple's first joint public appearance in Britain since relocating from the United States at the end of the summer.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were captured walking hand-in-hand as they made their way to the historic 16th-century pub The Falkland Arms, in the Oxfordshire village of Great Tew. They enjoyed some time to themselves as they stopped for a meal while their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, were at school.
Bargain pub grub and royal treatment
Meghan enjoyed a gluten-free beer-battered haddock and chips while Harry opted for chicken, ham and leek pie as they spent some valuable time together. They didn't feel at all out of place and enjoyed their lunch unbothered as they settle into their new surroundings, it is said.
The royals blended in effortlessly and clearly loved the charming pub, which was even referenced in MobLand by Pierce Brosnan's character Conrad Harrigan, who said they pour a great pint. The Falkland Arms is just a short distance from Soho Farmhouse, the private members' club where Meghan, 45, is known to have already begun Pilates sessions.
Locals' reaction and recent sightings
“Everyone here gets the royal treatment; it doesn’t matter who you are,” a pub worker told The Sun. “We’re lucky to get lots of different people visiting us, and everyone is treated like a local. When they visited, Harry and Meghan just acted like locals.”
They added: “We're a proper traditional English pub with black Labradors, but our ale is served cold. We have folk nights and Sunday roasts.” Both donned sunglasses as they arrived, with Meghan wearing a casual all-black outfit with white shoes, while Harry wore a Santa Barbara fire department cap - a nod to their former home near Montecito, California.
Return to Britain and ongoing security dispute
The trip came after Meghan has so far largely stayed out of the public eye following the family’s move back to Britain in August. But it wasn't her first visit to the Oxfordshire pub. Last week she stopped by with close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen and her young son, and was also spotted at The Three Horseshoes in Asthall, roughly 16 miles away, in the company of chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi.
Harry, meanwhile, has made a string of public appearances since the move, including attending the WellChild Awards and the Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner and Awards. The Duke also attended a black-tie gala supporting Ukraine before making a brief trip back to the US for engagements in New York.
The Sussexes’ return to Britain has come as their long-running dispute over security arrangements continues. The issue was brought back into focus after two men, believed to have been working for a European photo agency, were reportedly seen in a white van outside Archie and Lilibet’s school.
