Meghan Markle hits red carpet at star-studded gala — as Prince Harry breaks silence on divorce rumors
Meghan Markle beamed from ear to ear as she hit the red carpet at the 2024 Paley Honors Fall Gala Wednesday night.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, posed for photos after arriving at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills for the soirée to support her pal Tyler Perry, who received the highest distinction from The Paley Center for Media.
The “Suits” alum rocked a black Oscar de la Renta black strapless gown, which she paired with a pair of Celine heels.
She accessorized with a custom Logan Hollowell necklace as well as a Cartier Love bracelet.
Her husband, Prince Harry, was not in attendance.
Markle was captured alongside Perry as the duo embraced and they caught up with each other on the red carpet.
The former actress congratulated the Hollywood director on receiving his coveted award before sitting down at her table alongside the filmmaker and actress Kerry Washington.
At the star-studded event, Perry, 55, received the Paley Honors Award — The Paley Center for Media’s most coveted honor.
The Sussexes boast a close friendship with the filmmaker after he famously allowed them to stay in his $18 million Los Angeles mansion after they quit royal life and moved across the pond in 2020.
Perry is the godfather to their daughter, Princess Lilibet.
Markle’s appearance at the swanky gala was confirmed last week. Both she and Harry were on the hosting committee, alongside Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Taraji P. Henson and others.
While Harry didn’t attend the gala, he appeared at another event 2,789 miles away in New York City that same evening.
The exiled royal arrived in the Big Apple to attend the New York Times’ DealBook conference on Wednesday.
There, Harry set the record straight on the couple’s marriage after they were plagued with a slew of divorce rumors in recent weeks when they were seen appearing separately at professional engagements.
Dubbed a “professional separation,” the move was reportedly part of a new “twin-track” approach to overhauling their image.
“Apparently we’ve bought or moved house 10, 12 times,” Harry quipped when asked about his marriage. “We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?’”
“It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls,” he went on. “Their hopes are just built and built, and it’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do.”
The duke picked up the baton from his wife following her appearance at the summit in November 2021.
That year, Markle took part in a conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin called “Minding the Gap” about how women can reach equal pay.
Harry’s NYC trip comes just two months after he was last in NYC, having attended a string of events as part of the UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week.
The couple’s separate, bicoastal appearances showcase their so-called new “twin track” approach to overhauling their image.
