Spotted on East 55th St—Meghan Markle having a bright lights, big city evening!
The Duchess of Sussex stepped out in New York City on April 10. According to People, she first dined with friends at The Polo Bar—the super exclusive, low-lit, and impossible-to-get-a-res Midtown spot by Ralph Lauren. “The people watching is at least as good as anything you’re about to see on stage,” so says Vogue’s creative editorial director Mark Guiducci of a night there. Did she have the storied shrimp cocktail? Ralph’s corned beef sandwich on marbled rye? A burger? Who’s to say.
It also could be the case that Markle had a quick read of Vogue’s guide to the best theater district restaurants (with Polo Bar coming up high), because following dinner, she headed to see a production of Gypsy on Broadway. She and friends—including interior designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent—arrived in a four vehicle motorcade with a security detail at the Majestic Theater in Times Square.
She was photographed wearing a buttoned up black blouse and a long, houndstooth pencil skirt by Carolina Herrera—a go-to brand for the Duchess, who has worn and re-worn a glamorous Carolina Herrera red silk-faille dress to a charity gala in 2024 and 2021. She also wore a bright yellow Carolina Herrera dress to announce her pregnancy with Lilibet in 2021, and wore it once again for a state visit to Lagos, Nigera. This time, Markle opted for the patterned pencil skirt and paired it with black stiletto pumps, wearing her hair in sleek, light curls, and keeping jewelry minimal.
Markle settled in for the production, which stars six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, the legendary singer and actor who is the first Black actress to play the role of Mama Rose on Broadway. After the show, she and her friends went backstage to meet the cast. Markle and McDonald met for the first time, hugged, and posed for photos together.
“Her performance will leave you absolutely speechless,” Markle wrote on Instagram. “Full body chills. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house, and if the theater didn’t have to close for the night, the standing ovation would still be happening.”
Though this was their first meeting, McDonald previously told Vanity Fair about her admiration for Markle. “I don’t know how she continues to walk through this world with the grace, strength and purpose that she does given the unbearable amount of vitriol and hate she has been subjected to, but she does. I wish she didn’t have to,” she said in 2023.
Over the years, Meghan Markle has often found herself in New York—having filmed for her TV series Suits in the not-too-far city of Toronto, and it’s also where she and husband Prince Harry had their baby shower when expecting son Archie in 2022.
Prince Harry, meanwhile, was on an unannounced trip to Ukraine meeting victims of the war, military personnel, and civilians, at a facility called the Superhumans Center in Lviv that provides necessary services for free. This follows his recent trip back to the UK where he appeared in court to appeal for publicly funded security detail for his family, which he lost in 2020 after stepping back from royal duties.
Just last month, Markle traveled to New York to celebrate the premiere of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, making a surprise appearance at a fan screening. She also took the opportunity to film an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, where she talked about her show and her relationship with Harry.
While her night out in the Big Apple offers a glimpse at her closely guarded and curated life, both With Love, Meghan and her new podcast Confessions Of A Female Founder provide some interesting perspectives on Markle’s life—both intentional and not. The show may house only brief moments of intimacy and vulnerability, but on a recent podcast episode, she opened up about a more private moment: Her experience of postpartum preeclampsia—a rare but potentially fatal condition.
We can’t be sure how Markle ended her NYC night out, but surely there was a late-night snack (involving some jam) and a chance to unwind in an Epsom salt bath.
