Meghan Markle recently made a dazzling appearance at a glamorous vegan event in Los Angeles, which was dedicated to celebrating women’s empowerment and collaboration.

The Duchess of Sussex was the special guest at the event hosted by her friend Emma Grede, a fellow podcaster and the British CEO behind the fashion brand Good American. Grede is also a founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s Skims line. This event was part of Meghan’s ongoing two-week public relations tour in the United States.

The dinner took place at the residence of designer Kelly Wearstler, featuring a completely plant-based menu crafted by celebrity chef Camilla Marcus. The meal was complemented by Meghan’s own As Ever wine.

Emma Grede shared several photos on Instagram, highlighting Meghan seated prominently next to her during the dinner.

Grede remarked, “This dinner series is about claiming our energy. It’s about women uniting to share openly, exchange resources, and support one another in achieving goals.”

She further elaborated, “When women decide to collaborate, advocate for each other, and speak candidly about both the highs and challenges, we not only transform our own narratives but also expand the possibilities for every woman who comes after us.”

‘Here’s to more seats, more voices, and more women leading, building, and owning their power’.

Ms Grede posed with Meghan and shared a video of the women clinking glasses. But while Meghan appeared to be drinking her own sauvignon blanc.

Ms Grede had red wine, which As Ever does not sell, although fans were quick to suggest that 

Meghan did her best to command attention in a typically chic ensemble, complete with a Giuliva Heritage Stella Linen Blazer in camel, teamed with the matching trousers and a white crop top to show off her toned midriff.

Adding a touch of glitz to her smart outfit, the Duchess opted for her Cartier Love gold bracelet and a statement collar necklace from Aurate New York.

Meghan appeared on Ms Grede’s ‘Aspire’ podcast in June and appeared to take a series of new pops at the Royal Family after she pointedly said that she wanted people to ‘tell the truth’ about her.

The Duchess of Sussex also shared advice from her friend Serena Williams about ‘lies’ in another apparent dig about her life in the public eye since she fell in love with Prince Harry.

Ms Grede asked the Duchess: ‘If you could rewrite your public narrative from scratch, is there anything you would do differently?’.

Meghan wore a determined look and replied: ‘Yes, I would ask people to tell the truth’.

Ms Grede said Meghan must feel ‘angry’ to have people ‘lying about [her] all the time’. Meghan said that she dealt with this by remembering advice from her friend, tennis champion Serena Williams.

‘My dear friend Serena, she told me years ago: “A lie can’t live forever”.’ Meghan then laughed and said pointedly: ‘Eight years is a long time, but not forever’ – a clear nod to the period when she first began dating Prince Harry.

She then described fame as having ‘peaks and valleys’ and claims she has survived with ‘a lot of self work’ as well as de-stressing by spending time with her children, hiking and ‘date nights’ with Harry.

There was also a subtle dig at royal life where she described times in her life where she ‘wasn’t as empowered with my voice’, but said of her return to Instagram, which she left when she became a royal: ‘It was a great way to get my voice back.’

Meghan’s appearance at the LA dinner – around an hour from her Montecito mansion – came in a fortnight of pseudo-royal public engagements.  

Experts have predicted another new venture is on the cards, potentially in couture or cosmetics.

On Tuesday Meghan lectured on life as a ‘high-profile business founder’ as one of the stars of Fortune’s ‘Most Powerful Women’ summit in the US capital. 

Her Washington address marked yet another public appearance after New York dinners with Williams, another with a powerhouse talent agent, a night out with Ed Sheeran and a charity gala where she was crowned ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ with Harry. 

Experts predict the flurry of east coast engagements – at least six in as many days, including some without her husband – is part of a wider ‘Meghan 3.0’ relaunch attempt after a bumpy 2025.

In an Instagram reel released before the DC event Meghan filmed herself applying what appeared to be unbranded make up. It immediately led to speculation online that they could be samples for her own range – or a new collaboration with a beauty brand.

The headliner at the Fortune event conference in Washington was Selena Gomez, who became a billionaire largely due to her Rare Beauty make up business. 

Meghan also popped up at Paris Fashion Week ten days ago, ramping up claims she may move into clothing. One source predicted: ‘Fashion is where she will aim her focus now’. 

Another industry expert said privately that her Paris visit had been viewed as a huge coup for Meghan, even if she had to ask Balenciaga for an invite.

‘Paris was a “moment” for her. It’s the first positive PR she’s had in years,’ they added.  

It came as an ally of Meghan and Prince Harry, who handed them their ‘Humanitarians of the Year’ award has insisted that ‘no one’ is more deserving of the accolade.

Mark Borkowski, arguably the UK’s leading PR guru and crisis manager, told the Daily Mail that Meghan’s photo op blitz in NYC looks desperate – and lacks substance.

‘She is trying her hand to re-enter the global stage without waiting for an invitation. Fashion for the eyeballs, humanitarianism for the legitimacy, Washington for the gravitas. It’s less about proving one thing than layering enough optics to obscure the vacuum underneath’, he said.

In recent days Meghan has popped up all over Manhattan.

She reportedly held a solo meeting with the new editor of American Vogue, Chloe Malle, in a quiet corner of the luxurious Whitby Hotel.

She was spotted visiting the home of her friend Gloria Steinem, arguably one of America’s most influential liberal activists and feminists. 

There was also a solo dinner out with Williams’s agent Jill Smoller with photographers waiting outside.

There was also a dinner with Harry and Sheeran on Sunday night at Soho House. She shared an image of her chatting to the British musician.

There was also a lunch friend Williams at the same venue. 

The Sussexes famously had their first date at the London branch.

One leading PR guru with clients in the US and UK told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s Meghan 3.0. She’s on manoeuvres and looking for yet another relaunch.’ 

The events all began when Meghan and Harry were handed a Humanitarians of the Year award, which some branded a ‘mad’ decision and ‘the ultimate irony’. One royal expert insisted William and Kate would be better suited.

Attorney and social media safety campaigner Laura Marquez-Garrett gave the couple their gong in New York last week and called their critics ‘sad’, ‘pessimistic’ and accused them of lacking humanity.

‘No one has done more for the thousands of families the Social Media Law Center serves than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’, she wrote in their defence on LinkedIn.

She revealed that the Sussexes have been privately supporting families who have lost loved ones due to social media abuse.

She wrote that the couple have helped ‘not just through money and words … but by personally showing up over and over … by personally making phone calls, sending notes, and picking fruit from their garden for grieving parents so that they know they are not alone. By putting ideas, resources, and support into action to ensure that these families have what they need to stand up and fight back’.

She said: ‘ No one … I repeat … NO ONE has done more for the thousands of families the Social Media Law Center serves than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And no one … I repeat … NO ONE has done more for those of us at SMVLC who love these families and need them to be okay to do the work we do across litigation, legislation, and education than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

‘Their humanity speaks for itself and I feel bad for those who live in the place where social media dictates life rather than seeking truth from those who have witnessed it first hand. That must be a sad, pessimistic, and scary place to live’.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, spoke live on stage to Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell in Washington DC at a starry event also featuring the likes of former Vice President Kamala Harris and pop star Gomez.

Their sit-down, titled Next Level Influence, covered how Meghan plans to build a ‘successful, long-lasting business empire’. 

She also discussed founding her As Ever lifestyle business, finding new products and ‘navigating entrepreneurship in the public eye and building a brand that will endure’. 

In the past year, Meghan has returned to Instagram, launched her Confessions Of A Female Founder podcast, appeared in her own Netflix cookery show, and launched a range of lifestyle products and website.  

‘She joins us to discuss the opportunities and challenges of life as a high-profile, highly scrutinised founder, as well as how she plans to leverage her significant influence to build a successful, long-lasting business empire,’ the blurb from Fortune read. 

Meghan’s first range of lifestyle products for her As Ever brand sold out just minutes after going live when it first launched in April.

However, experts later theorised this was a ‘common marketing ploy’ as items had only been made in small quantities, while later launches including her rosé wine failed to sell out. 

In a flurry of activity in October, Meghan popped up in Paris at the Balenciaga Spring-Summer 2026 show nine days ago where her daring white and black outfits made headlines around the world. 

The Daily Mail revealed that she had asked the brand’s top designer if she could attend – rather than receiving an invite.

But insiders in the fashion world have said while there were a number of controversies on the trip, her Parisian adventure has been well received in that cossetted world and more appearances at these type of events could follow.