Meghan Markle appeared to offer her father-in-law an olive branch while wearing a bracelet gifted to her by the royal. This was her first public appearance since the royal racism dispute flared up again with the publication of the “mouthpiece” Omid Scobie book.
The 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex appeared in Montecito on Monday wearing a range of casual luxury items, including Princess Diana’s Cartier bracelet and watch and a Bentley & Skinner diamond tennis bracelet – a gift from the royal worth at least £4,900.
The piece, first worn on the eve of her wedding to Prince Harry, was first created by royal owners Bentley & Skinner and features ninety-two round brilliant-cut diamonds.
It could be a sign of peace between the feuding Windsors after Scobie’s new book Endgame names Charles and the Princess of Wales as the two royals who allegedly raised concerns about Prince Archie’s skin color before his birth.
Harry and Meghan are said to be “desperate to get back into the royal fold” and recently reached out to Charles on his 75th birthday.
Meghan Markle appeared to offer her father-in-law an olive branch in Santa Barbara on Monday as she wore a bracelet he gave her
Meghan wore the Bentley & Skinner bracelet, believed to be a gift from King Chalres
The Bentley & Skinner Diamond Line Tennis Bracelet (pictured on Meghan in May 2018) features 48 round brilliant cut diamonds weighing a total of seven carats and worth at least £4,900
Crafted by royal warrant holders, the bracelet has a total of 2 carats and is set in white gold
The 42-year-old looked sporty in New Balance sneakers, leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt
The bracelet, last worn publicly in May during a hike in California, could be a subtle nod from the duchess to her family 5,000 miles away.
Her appearance comes as Scobie, considered the couple’s unofficial spokesman, is still dealing with the fallout from his new book.
A first draft of the book, given to Dutch translators, named the two senior members of the royal family – King Charles and the Princess of Wales – who Meghan said had “concerns” about the color of her son Archie’s skin voiced while she was pregnant.
Meghan first expressed her allegations about the conversation in March 2021 in her television interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Harry and Meghan issued a statement saying it was not the late queen or her husband Prince Philip, but refused to name the members of the royal family who made the comments.
Scobie’s book marks the first time they have been named.
The Sussexes have declined to publicly defend their relatives, and the publisher of Scobie’s book has provided no explanation for how the names were printed.
In addition to the bracelet, Meghan opted for accessories worth thousands of pounds.
She held her phone in one hand as she walked toward her waiting SUV
The mother of two wore her favorite Krewe sunglasses in the bright California sun
Alongside black leggings and a simple black top, the former actress wore a new pair of £78 New Balance trainers and a green baseball cap.
She paired it with a pair of Krewe sunglasses that she had worn before, which cost £250.
She then clutched her iPhone 14 Pro in a £180 Bottega Veneta phone case.
Scobie claims that he “never submitted a book in which these names appeared,” which his Dutch translator disputes.
A source told the Times that United Talent Agency had previously sent a draft of the book with the names to publisher Xander Uitgevers.
However, a final proof of the 400-page tome was later sent out, but it is understood that the translator had worked from an earlier draft.
This will happen later, as the book has already been removed from Amazon’s top 100 bestseller list, despite creating a huge buzz in the first week of its release.
The title is currently ranked at number 139 on the UK bestseller book charts, based on Amazon sales, which are updated hourly to reflect current and historical sales of each item.
The former Suits actress appeared at a gala in Los Angeles last month and said she has exciting new projects in the pipeline and looks forward to sharing more details when the opportunity arises
Meghan went for casual luxury as she walked through Santa Barbara with her phone in hand
Meghan has remained very reserved amid news of the royal family’s recent allegations of racism, which have rocked the palace recently
Endgame has fallen more than 100 places in three days, from 14th place last Friday. It ranked 77th on its release day last Tuesday.
The book is now ranked behind children’s titles such as the Beano Annual, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Stick Man; biographies of Britney Spears, Matthew Perry and Chris Kamara; and cookbooks by Mary Berry, Rick Stein and Tom Kerridge.
In the same Amazon list in the US today, Endgame was at number 235 – below The Very Hungry Caterpillar; the danger! Calendar 2024; and a Paw Patrol sound book.
Amazon says its listings are a “good indicator of how well a product is selling overall” but “do not always indicate how well an item is selling compared to similar items.”
The book’s declining performance comes despite significant media coverage as well as television interviews Scobie conducted for the BBC and ITV in the UK and ABC in the US.
Meghan kept it casual as she strolled around Santa Barbara in sneakers and black leggings
Meghan and Charles were previously close, and the royal even walked her down the aisle when she married Prince Harry. The couple is pictured at the Commonwealth Day service in March 2019
The original “racism” claim was made in the Sussexes’ infamous Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021
A copy of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame on display in a bookshop in London last Friday
The author has also given interviews to publications such as The Times, Evening Standard, Independent, Tatler, People, Elle.com and Paris March.
Meanwhile, the book was not on display at London’s oldest bookstore, Hatchards on Piccadilly – only one copy was set aside to order, The Guardian reported.
The newspaper added that about 14 copies were stacked on a table near the entrance to nearby Waterstones, but “there too interest was limited”.
The Sussexes have not publicly commented on the racial dispute, but a source close to Meghan said: “No one in their camp passed it on to Scobie.”
It was also revealed yesterday that the Dutch edition of Endgame quoted a source close to the Sussexes branding William “heartless” – another inflammatory passage that does not appear in the British version.
Regarding claims that the Prince of Wales secured a flight to Balmoral without Harry as the Queen lay dying, the translation quoted the source as saying: “It was heartless to deny him the chance to travel to Scotland to say goodbye to his grandmother. “This was not the time to be petty.”
A “family source” also claims that William “deliberately ignored” Harry when the queen died and “did not want to help him,” the Dutch edition says.
It said: “He was, and still is, angry at Harry’s revelation of private problems… He considers it unforgivable.”
The Dutch version also refers to the king’s “cash for honors” scandal last year, with a “source” saying: “People within the institution are worried that ‘more stories will follow’.”
None of these claims appeared in the English version, The Sun reported on Sunday.
This comes after Meghan admitted under oath that she hired a senior staffer to brief Scobie for his previous book about the Sussexes, titled Finding Freedom