Meghan Markle Hosts ‘Together’ Cookbook Event, Mom, Doria Ragland, Also Attends

Meghan Markle hosted a charity event on Kensington Palace grounds today to support West London’s Hubb Community Kitchen. This food-centric event celebrated the launch of Together: Our Community Cookbook, which is a charity fundraiser that features a forward by Markle. Additionally, the launch of the cookbook was also Meghan’s first charitable work as a royal. Another notable aspect of this particular event was the presence of Markle’s mom, Doria Ragland, who hasn’t been seen in public with her daughter since Meghan and Prince Harry tied the knot.

According to E! News, Meghan Markle didn’t refer to any notes during her three-minute speech at the event. Instead, she spoke from the heart about the nine months she’s spent working with Hubb Community Kitchen to help get their new cookbook created and published. She also praised the group’s diversity, along with the racially diverse makeup of London.

“On a personal level, I feel so proud to live in a city that can have so much diversity. It’s 12 countries represented in this one group of women – it’s pretty outstanding,” the Duchess of Sussex commented.

Hubb Community Kitchen first captured public attention by stepping up to feed people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The London tragedy claimed the lives of 72 people. It also destroyed 151 homes, touched all 24 stories of Grenfell Tower, and caused a local mental health crisis. The Independent reported that at least 20 survivors attempted suicide during the aftermath of the fire.

Many of Hubb Community Kitchen’s members are survivors of the fire who wanted to help their neighbors. When Meghan Markle first decided to get involved, the community kitchen was only able to provide food twice per week. Per The Independent, Markle has been able to leverage her status as a member of the royal family to help the charity expand its schedule. In fact, the cookbook is expected to provide enough proceeds to fund the kitchen full-time.

The Inquisitr previously reported that Meghan Markle’s cookbook skyrocketed to the coveted No. 1 Best Seller spot on Amazon before the book was even available to order. To kick off sales of the charity cookbook, Markle’s event gave invitees the opportunity to sample some of the book’s recipes. This included tasty treats such as caramelized plum upside-down cake and aubergine masala.

Prince Harry stood by his wife’s side but did not hog any of the spotlight. Instead, all eyes were on Meghan Markle as she displayed her commitment to helping people in need. Markle was as stylish as ever while interacting with guests. Elle reported that her outfit included a Tuxe top, a Misha Nonoo skirt, and a blue Smythe coat.

The royal couple is expected to attend the We Are CoachCore Awards next week. There is no word yet if Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be joined by Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, for that or any other public events during her visit.