Meghan Markle and Oprah surprise guests at a California indie bookstore opening

Meghan Markle spoke at a bookstore opening in Summerland, California, over the weekend, where Oprah Winfrey and writer Shaka Senghor also appeared.

Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special; theGrio.com
Oprah Winfrey interviews Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on A CBS Primetime Special premiering on CBS on March 7, 2021. (Photo by Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese via Getty Images)

Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey gave the literary community of Summerland, California, a huge seal of approval over the weekend.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, and the media mogul, 70, were spotted attending the opening of Godmothers, a new independent bookstore just outside of Montecito — where Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, relocated in 2020.

Author Laura Lynne Jackson shared a photo on her Instagram Stories of the Duchess of Sussex standing onstage at the bookstore speaking into a microphone, per People magazine. Jackson captioned the photo: “Most light-filled evening of speakers…”

In various footage from the event uploaded to social media, Meghan can be seen dressed in a navy sleeveless collared jumpsuit, while Winfrey wore a belted long-sleeved cotton dress for the occasion.

In addition to the Duchess and Winfrey, others in attendance included writer Shaka Senghor — who was seen in conversation with Winfrey during the event.

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According to People magazine, the bookstore featured a display of local authors among its titles, highlighting “Spare” by Prince Harry and Meghan’s New York Times bestselling children’s book “The Bench.” 

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

Not much has been reported about what either said while at the event; however, both Meghan and Winfrey were seen speaking to the crowd in the footage.

It’s not too hard to imagine that Meghan would make a surprise appearance at a local bookstore opening. The Duchess hasn’t been shy about her love of Montecito and its surrounding cities. Her forthcoming lifestyle brand, America Riveria Orchard, is named after the estate she and Prince Harry currently share with their two children.

Markle and Winfrey aren’t the only major names to give Godmothers their support; Gloria Steinem also gave an exclusive interview to their inaugural newsletter.

The Godmothers event took place on Sept. 8, 2022, a day before the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

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