Meghan Markle Mocked Over Public Outing with Ellen DeGeneres

Meghan Markle has finally been photographed out and about in Britain following her family’s return to the U.K. — and the celebrity she chose to spend the afternoon with immediately got people talking.

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, was spotted Monday, September 21, enjoying a relaxed outing with longtime friends Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at The Three Horseshoes near Burford, Oxfordshire.

Photos from the Cotswolds outing showed Meghan dressed casually in white pants, a pale blue button-down shirt, white sneakers and sunglasses as she chatted with DeGeneres outside the historic pub. A security guard followed close behind.

Just when stories are going around that Meghan Markle might not be in the UK, suddenly we get this image of her with Ellen DeGeneres, spotted in the UK Pub. So nice to see two reportedly accused bullies reunite. 👀 https://t.co/lrYEjJnUJH

— Hanz (@fashionistaera) September 21, 2026

Page Six also published video from the outing, giving royal watchers one of their clearest looks at Meghan since the Sussex family returned to Britain in August. Watch the footage from Meghan’s Cotswolds outing

The appearance drew extra attention because Prince Harry was several miles away carrying out a public engagement of his own. The Duke of Sussex attended the WellChild Awards in London on Monday, continuing his longtime involvement with the charity for seriously ill children and their families.

Meghan and Harry returned to Britain with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, on August 26 after years of living primarily in Montecito, California, according to multiple reports. Monday’s outing appears to be Meghan’s first photographed casual public appearance since that move, although she was reportedly seen privately at Soho Farmhouse earlier this month.

The Sussexes have not resumed their old positions as working members of the Royal Family.

DeGeneres and de Rossi are hardly new additions to Meghan’s social circle.

The couples previously lived near one another in Montecito, and Meghan appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2021. She was also among the guests when DeGeneres and de Rossi renewed their vows in 2023.

DeGeneres and de Rossi moved to the English countryside in 2024. DeGeneres later said the move became permanent following the 2024 U.S. presidential election. More recent reports indicate the couple has also acquired another property in Montecito and may divide their time between California and England.

That makes Monday’s gathering something of a California reunion in the Cotswolds.

But it was DeGeneres’ presence that gave Meghan’s otherwise low-key pub lunch a more controversial edge.

Social-media critics quickly revived old workplace controversies involving both women, with some mocking the pair for being seen together.

The criticism requires some context.

DeGeneres’ hugely successful daytime talk show was rocked by allegations about its workplace culture in 2020 after former employees described an environment they said included intimidation, racial insensitivity and other misconduct.

WarnerMedia opened an investigation into the production.

When The Ellen DeGeneres Show returned that September, DeGeneres publicly addressed the controversy and apologized to people who said they had been mistreated.

“There were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show, and then there was an investigation,” she told viewers at the time, adding that she had learned “things happened here that never should have happened.”

That controversy damaged the squeaky-clean “be kind” image DeGeneres had cultivated over years on television, although allegations surrounding the workplace should not automatically be treated as findings that DeGeneres personally engaged in every behavior described by former employees.

Meghan has also previously been accused of mistreating employees during her time as a working royal — allegations she strongly denied.

Buckingham Palace announced a review in March 2021 after reports emerged that former palace employees had complained about Meghan’s behavior.

However, an important distinction often gets lost in coverage of the controversy: the outside review focused on the Royal Household’s handling of the complaints and its personnel procedures rather than functioning as a public trial of whether every allegation against Meghan was true.

The palace completed the review in 2022 but declined to release its detailed findings, citing the confidentiality of the employees who participated.

Officials said changes had been made to the Royal Household’s human-resources policies following the process.

Meghan has consistently denied bullying staff.

Her representatives previously described the allegations as an attack on her character and said she was particularly troubled by accusations of bullying because of her own experiences.

The Cotswolds sighting also offers a glimpse at what Meghan’s life in Britain could look like this time around.

Unlike the intense schedule of official engagements she followed while serving as a senior working royal, her latest appearance was entirely private — lunch at a country pub with friends while Harry attended a charity event in London.

Meghan has largely concentrated on settling Archie and Lilibet into life in Britain since the family arrived in August. The children reportedly changed schools shortly after the new term began following discussions with the family’s security team about logistics and travel arrangements. A Sussex spokesperson stressed that the decision was not a criticism of the original school.

Meghan also gave followers a glimpse of the family’s new surroundings earlier this month, sharing footage of Harry and the children enjoying the British countryside.

For now, there is no indication Meghan intends to return to royal duties.

But after weeks of keeping a relatively low profile, her afternoon with one of Hollywood’s most recognizable former talk-show hosts ensured her first photographed pub outing became anything but quiet.