‘Local author’ Duchess Meghan spoke at a bookstore opening in Montecito

The Duchess of Sussex made a quiet appearance in California over the weekend! She went to the opening of a local bookstore in Summerland, not far from Montecito. The bookstore is called Godmothers! Oprah was in attendance too, and both Oprah and Meghan made short speeches. Hilariously, Godmothers has a “local author” section and Meghan’s The Bench and Harry’s Spare were both featured prominently in that section.

Meghan Markle stepped out to support fellow authors at a bookstore opening in Santa Barbara. On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, spoke at the grand opening of Godmothers bookstore in Summerland, Calif., near Montecito — where she and husband Prince Harry have lived since 2020.

Meghan sported a chic, business-inspired look for the event. She wore a sleeveless navy blue tuxedo jumpsuit from Club Monaco, and kept her hair back in a ponytail. She completed the ensemble with a simple pair of diamond earrings.

In a photo shared by author Laura Lynne Jackson on her Instagram Stories, the Duchess of Sussex is seen standing onstage at the bookstore speaking into a microphone. Jackson captioned the photo: “Most light-filled evening of speakers…”

Also in attendance at the star-studded bookstore launch were Meghan’s friend and neighbor Oprah Winfrey, author Shaka Senghor, astrologer Jennifer Freed and the new bookstore’s co-founders, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and Victoria Jackson.

Although Meghan’s husband Prince Harry, 39, was not in attendance at the bookstore event, a display featuring books written by “hometown authors” included his 2023 memoir Spare. The display also included some titles by other famous local authors, including Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Easy, as well as Meghan’s children’s book The Bench.

“We celebrate our hometown authors as if they were our hometown heroes, because to us they are,” Rudolph Walsh said in a video promoting the new store.

[From People]

This is the kind of thing I expect from Meghan – like, of course she showed up at a local bookstore opening. Of course the bookstore is called Godmothers. Of course there’s a section devoted to recognizing the literary and feminist godmothers who came before us. Of course The Bench and Spare are featured in the local authors section. It’s just perfect. And of course, there are already British commentators crying about how Meghan was outside on the eve of the anniversary of QEII’s passing.

“An evening with Oprah.” Duchess Meghan attended an Oprah book club session in Montecito.#DuchessofSussex

????Marco Leone pic.twitter.com/LKU60YYltI

— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) September 8, 2024

Meghan at the opening of Godmothers bookstore in Summerland, CA last night.

She is wearing a black jumpsuit from @clubmonaco – https://t.co/d8iOp7souq (end of season – no longer available).#whatmeghanwore #MeghanMarkle pic.twitter.com/YvtzPNlDPg

— What Meghan Wore (@whatmegwore) September 8, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.