Meghan's First Solo Engagement, Queen of the World Sneak Peek & 'Together' Hits The Bestseller Lists

Hello-Hello! We're back sooner than expected with a sneak peek at 'Queen of the World', news on Meghan's first solo engagement and an update on Together: Our Community Cookbook.

Queen of the World... A week before it airs, ITV released a teaser trailer of 'Queen of the World' today. The two-part series offers a unique insight into Her Majesty The Queen’s role as a figure on the global stage and the baton she is passing to the younger members of the Royal Family as they continue to build the Commonwealth connection. It marks Meghan's first appearance in a royal documentary. The Duchess is filmed reunited with her Givenchy wedding gown and veil for the first time since the wedding. In the video below, Meghan talks about the Commonwealth: "53 countries. Oh my goodness. It will keep us busy".

The Mail Online reports Meghan will discuss her decision to include Commonwealth Flora in her bridal look. "The Los Angeles-born former actress also selected two personal favourites: a California poppy and wintersweet, which grows in the grounds of Kensington Palace and outside her and Harry's home, Nottingham Cottage."

Meghan's wearing the navy Roland Mouret Barwick Fit-and-Flare dress she first wore the evening before the wedding. It's a gorgeous dress and a perfect choice for the interview. The Resort 2018 design remains available on the Roland Mouret website.

Queen of the World Part 1 airs next Tuesday, 25 September on ITV at 9:15 pm. In addition to Meghan, there's interviews with Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Prince William, the Princess Royal, and the Countess of Wessex. We can also expect fabulous footage from the Queen's Commonwealth visits over the decades. 

For those in the US, the programme will air on HBO on 1 October. The lovely ladies at What Meghan Wore kindly shared the following graphic with details of multiple repeat times. I also expect it will become, at least temporarily, available on YouTube.

Meghan's First Solo Engagement... Whilst Thursday's launch event for 'Together' is very much Meghan's event, Harry will be her plus one. I imagine he's excited to see this project completed and wanted to be there to support her. Next Tuesday, 25 September, the Duchess will carry out her first full solo engagement when she attends the opening of ‘Oceania’ at the Royal Academy of Arts.

‘Oceania’ is the first ever major survey of Oceanic art to be held in the United Kingdom. The exhibition will celebrate the art of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, encompassing the vast Pacific region including New Guinea, Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand. ‘Oceania’ will bring together around 200 works from public collections worldwide, spanning over 500 years. The exhibition also marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy, which was founded in 1768 – the same year Captain James Cook set out on his first Endeavour expedition.

Meghan will enjoy a tour of ‘Oceania’, spending time viewing exhibits from different regions including New Zealand, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and Australia, which she and Harry will visit in October. The Duchess will also meet the exhibition’s curators and artists as well as descendants linked to the works displayed and view a short performance of Ngati Ranana, a Maori cultural group.

I thought it a very nice choice, it's interesting to see how her first solo engagement ties in with her Commonwealth role. It's another royal milestone for the Duchess. Below, an overview of her calendar for the next week.

Together... The reaction to the release of Together: Our Community Cookbook has been amazing. It was incredibly heartwarming to see readers, posters and the royal community as a whole come together to celebrate a truly worthy initiative. Meghan's first solo project has greatly touched people all over the world; a fact that's evidently reflected in the success of the book. Today, the book remains at number one on the Amazon UK bestsellers list.

In terms of global reach, the book is number one on Amazon Australia, number two on Amazon Canada and number five on Amazon US. It's fantastic to see Meghan using her role to bring the Hubb - started in the aftermath of Grenfell - to people all over the world. 

Meghan's foreword was shared in The Times today. Several of you requested the full text:

'In January 2018, as I was settling in to my new home of London, it was important to me to get to know organisations working in the local community. I made a quiet trip to Al-Manaar, a mosque close to the Grenfell community.

In 2017, I had watched the Grenfell Tower tragedy unfold on the news; I was in Canada at the time, sharing the global sentiment of shock and sympathy for what this community was enduring, while also deeply wanting to help. Fast-forward seven months, and I was set to meet some of the women affected by the fire, at a community kitchen in Al-Manaar.

The kitchen was opened after the Grenfell tragedy, offering women who had been displaced and the community around them a space to cook food for their families. Their roles as matriarchs united them across their cultures; the kitchen provided an opportunity to cook what they knew and to taste the memory of home, albeit homes some had recently lost.

The kitchen buzzes with women of all ages; women who have lived and seen life; laughing, chatting, sharing a cup of tea and a story, while children play on the floor or are rocked to sleep in their strollers. Now I have come to know these women and this place well, here are a few things to note about the community kitchen:

It is cosy and brightly lit, with scents of cardamom, curry and ginger dancing through the air.

It will take you about 15 minutes to enter the room, as you will be joyfully greeted by kisses (cheek x 3) by each of the incredible women there. You will find yourself in a melting pot of cultures and personalities, who have roots in Uganda, Iraq, Morocco, India, Russia and at least ten other countries.

You should undoubtedly arrive on an empty stomach because upon departure you will have been stuffed to the gills with samosas flecked with cinnamon, chapatis flavoured with carrots and onion, Russian semolina cake, Persian teas and my very favourite avocado dip that I now make at home.

You will feel joyful in their company, and you will leave counting the days until you go back.

On my first visit, I asked Munira, the resident chef de cuisine (so to speak), how I could help. An apron was quickly wrapped around me, I pushed up my sleeves, and I found myself washing the rice for lunch. Munira’s sister-in-law, who had flown in from Egypt after Grenfell to help the family, helped me divide the correct amount of butter and fresh thyme to pour into the pot of rice bubbling away on the stovetop. All the aromas percolating in a kitchen filled with countless languages aflutter remains one of my most treasured memories from my first visit to the kitchen.

I have a lifelong interest in the story of food — where it comes from, why we embrace it and how it brings us together: the universal connection to community through the breaking of bread. Within this kitchen’s walls, there exists not only the communal bond of togetherness through sharing food, but also a cultural diversity that creates what I would describe as a passport on a plate: the power of a meal to take you to places you’ve never been, or transport you right back to where you came from.

One of my own favourite meals is collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread — a meal I would look forward to throughout my childhood: the smell of yellow onions simmering amongst a slow-cooked pot of greens from my grandma’s back garden; the earthy texture of peas; and a golden loaf of cornbread puff-puffing away to a browned peak in the warmth of the oven.

This was always eaten on New Year’s Day, a tradition steeped in ancestral history where each component has a meaning: the black-eyed peas for prosperity, the greens for wealth, the cornbread for health and nourishment. It wasn’t a new year’s resolution; it was a wish. It wasn’t simply a meal; it was a story.

The kitchen was opened after the Grenfell tragedy, offering women who had been displaced and the community around them a space to cook food for their families.

I’ve spent many years away from my birthplace of Los Angeles and have found that travelling far from home highlights the power of personally meaningful recipes. During my time at university in Chicago I would wait with bated breath to return to LA for the winter break and have a bowl of my mother’s gumbo. And while living in Toronto (seven years of being adopted by that beautiful place for work), I embraced poutine and several other Canadian culinary favourites, but the southern California girl in me always craved fish tacos, and the memory of eating hometown fare infused with a strong Mexican influence.

We’ve all had that experience where you have a bite of food, close your eyes, and taste, remember and even feel the first time you enjoyed it. There is good reason that chicken soup is often credited with healing not just a cold, but the soul. There is something quintessentially restorative about a taste of something meaningful.
I immediately felt connected to this community kitchen; it is a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook together. Melding cultural identities under a shared roof, it creates a space to feel a sense of normalcy — in its simplest form, the universal need to connect, nurture and commune through food, through crisis or joy — something we can all relate to. During my visit I met Zahira, a working mum who oversees much of the coordination at Al-Manaar and whose infectious smile is enough to make you forget any troubles. Upon learning the kitchen was only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays I asked, “Why isn’t this open seven days a week?” Her response: “Funding.”

 And now just a few months later, here we are . . . Together.

Together is more than a cookbook. Through this charitable endeavour, the proceeds will allow the kitchen to thrive and keep the global spirit of community alive. With the support of dynamic women from all walks of life, we have come together with a united vision to empower other women to share their stories through food.'

Ahead of Thursday's launch, Meghan's mother Doria Ragland was spotted at the airport yesterday making her way to London. Omid Scobie reports she visited Harry and Meghan on several occasions over the summer at their home in the Cotswolds. I'm sure she wants to be there for her on Thursday, as her first project as a member of the royal family is officially launched. 

See you on Thursday :)