Nottingham welcomes ‘Markle sparkle’
LONDON: Can you see her? Can you see her? Is she there? Where is she? Meg-han! On a frosty morning in Nottingham, expectant crowds waited in their bobble hats and fleecy layers to bear witness to a new chapter of royal life — and to experience the Markle Sparkle for themselves.
A proud and beaming Prince Harry brought his fiancée, Meghan Markle, to the city on their official engagement, which was to mark World Aids Day.
After travelling up from here on the train, the couple thrilled fans with a 30-minute walkabout, before they visited a charity fair and a local school.
At Harry’s side, she glowed in the pale winter sunshine, the perfect curve of her Hollywood teeth set in an easy smile, her lips glossed, her manner relaxed.
The royal couple started their walkabout together, but remarkably, Markle soon peeled off on her own, confidently striding across the cobbles in her heels to meet fans on the other side of the street.
While it took Kate Middleton three whole months to become a fully-fledged working royal, Meghan, 36, has thrown herself in the deep end after just five days.
Charming with all who had queued in the cold to say hello and wish her well, she could engage, talk about the weather, admire babies and even smile when people told her repeatedly that “Diana would have loved you”.
In Nottingham, her debut on the royal carpet was the same, but different.
“We’re not allowed,” she said apologetically, when fans asked for selfies. She bent down to pick up someone’s dropped glove, and handed it back over the security barrier. When a young woman complained of cold hands, Meghan fished a handwarmer out of her pocket and gave it to her.
After half an hour of pressing the flesh, the couple went into Nottingham Contemporary art gallery for a Terrence Higgins World Aids Day charity fair.
Later, they travelled to the Nottingham Academy to learn more about Full Effect, a programme working to mentor young people at risk of, and affected by, youth violence.
The future royal bride had dressed down for this low-key beginning to the rest of her life. Meghan wore a £520 (RM2,900) navy coat from Canadian designer Mackage, which had more than a hint of Captain Poldark.
The rest of her take-me-seriously outfit consisted of a Joseph skirt (£600), a Wolford polo neck and £280 Kurt Geiger boots. She also carried a £455 handbag from Strathberry of Scotland. DM