Meghan Markle has made a discreet appearance alongside Oprah Winfrey, whose tell-all interview put allegations about the royals and race into the light for the first time.
The Duchess of Sussex was in a seat marked "reserved" as the star interviewer sat in an armchair discussing books during the private event, part of the grand opening of Godmothers in Summerland, California.
The bookstore is less than five miles and around 10 minutes drive from Prince Harry and Meghan's Montecito mansion.
Meghan was later photographed with a microphone in her hand speaking to the crowd by author Minh Lê, who posted the image to his Instagram.
Earlier Lê and illustrator Dan Santat had their own event promoting their book Built to Last as part of the grand opening on Saturday.
The duchess appeared smiling and happy, though little of what she actually said during the event is known.
One quote shared by a fan was mistakenly cited by some outlets as a quote from her talk after it was included in an Instagram caption, but appears to have been said by Meghan during her tour of Colombia on August 18.
It read: "I'm looking at this time as my chapter of joy. The more you are able to look at your life and really, truly recognize and be able to be grateful for your life—you have to be grateful for all aspects of it.
"My intentionality is to enjoy this chapter and be able to love through every piece of this as best we can."
In fact, Meghan said those words during the Afro-Descendant Women and Power: Voices of Equity summit, at Teatro Municipal Enrique Buenaventura, in Cali.
The Godmothers event came a day before the royals marked the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death, on September 8, 2022.
Feminist firebrand Gloria Steinem, a friend of Meghan's, has also supported the bookstore's opening, giving an exclusive interview to its inaugural newsletter.
Meghan and Prince Harry's Oprah interview in March 2021 marked their first full account of the experience and criticisms of the monarchy.
Most famously, Meghan said the royals discussed denying her children titles and police security. When asked whether this might have been racially motivated replied that there were "concerns and conversations about how dark [Prince Archie's] skin might be when he's born."
Prince Harry later said Meghan had not intended to accuse the royals of racism but suggested there may have been unconscious bias in his family.
Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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