It’s the king and queen of lockdown chic in LA
HAND in hand and dressed down in the ‘LA uniform’ of a baseball cap and bandana, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle show how quickly they have adapted to their new life in Hollywood.
The pair – who moved to Los Angeles with 11-month-old son Archie a month ago, shortly before the United States went into coronavirus lockdown – appeared relaxed as they returned from handing out food with the Project Angel Food charity.
While Meghan, 38, opted for a protective mask, 35-year-old Harry earned style points for using a blue bandana to shield his face on Friday.
Under California law, it is currently mandatory to wear a mask in public, but a bodyguard who was with the couple did not.
Reportedly living in a rented home in the Hollywood Hills, the couple have been spending their days walking their dogs and handing out meals to AIDS sufferers and the chronically ill after Meghan said she wanted to show her husband her native city ‘through the eyes of philanthropy’.
Despite having left Britain, Harry said in an interview with the Declassified podcast that the number of volunteers helping the UK fight against coronavirus was ‘wonderfully British’.
He praised 99-year-old Second World War veteran Captain Tom Moore for his ‘utterly amazing’ fundraising efforts in collecting more than £20million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden.
However the Duke, who served with the Blues and Royals and the Army Air Corps, risked controversy by accusing the media of painting a pessimistic picture of the pandemic.
He said the fundraising and volunteering were proving that ‘things are better than we’re led to believe through certain corners of the media. It can be very worrying when you’re sitting there and the only information you are getting is from certain news channels, but if you are out and about or you are on the right platforms, you can really sense this human spirit coming to the forefront.’
Harry and Meghan, who officially quit as senior Royals at the end of last month, kept a ‘low profile’ as they spent three days delivering meals from the back of their black Porsche SUV. Project Angel Food executive director Richard Ayoub said he had intended to keep their philanthropic work secret until it ‘somehow’ leaked out. He added: ‘Meghan said she wanted to show
Harry Los Angeles though the eyes of philanthropy. There’s obviously a great deal of love and selflessness between them.’
Mr Ayoub said he was unaware how their charity efforts became public, although there have been suggestions that the couple’s slick Hollywood PR firm Sunshine Sachs may have leaked the news to portray them in a positive light.
One source said: ‘It’s become apparent that Meghan and Harry’s decision to leave the Royal Family could not have been timed worse.
They have continuously said that they want to lead a private life out of the public eye, so it’s curious that their charity work this week immediately leaked.’
A witness said the pair blended seamlessly into their surroundings, adding: ‘Everyone in LA wears baseball caps – they are part of the unofficial uniform. And Harry’s bandana was a perfect way to self-protect while looking chic. The whole point about LA is to look effortlessly casual, no matter who you are.’
Mr Ayoub said the pair learned about the charity through Meghan’s yoga-teacher mother Doria, who is friends with Project Angel Food founder Marianne Williamson.
Ms Williamson, a spiritual guru, author of self-help books and selfdescribed ‘bitch for God’, is close friends with TV titan Oprah Winfrey, who in turn has become close chums with Doria, even inviting her to stay at her £100million California estate. On Thursday, Harry and Meghan were spotted walking their dogs, labrador Oz and rescue beagle Guy, on a popular hiking trail.