Meghan Markle steps out with Kimberly Williams-Paisley in Montecito

Meghan Markle appeared in great spirits as she stepped out in Montecito with Father Of The Bride actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley on Sunday.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, was pictured leaving the trendy Italian restaurant Tre Lune, a favourite among A-listers including Kourtney Kardashian, Ellen DeGeneres and Sofia Richie.

Mother-of-two Meghan was spotted smiling and chatting with Kimberly, wife of American country singer Brad Paisley, near her $14.5million Montecito mansion. 

Kimberly and her husband are long-time residents of Montecito and are part of the same social circle, which included Ellen, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.

The actress is also heavily involved in charity initiatives, which are close to Meghan’s heart, particularly ending food poverty, so there was no doubt plenty to catch up on during their outing. 

Looking typically chic, Prince Harry‘s wife opted for a laidback look with a £245 white ‘Mika’ shirt from Los Angeles brand Anine Bing tucked into a pair of relaxed light-blue denim mom jeans, and even pulled her hair back with a claw clip. Her outing comes after US President 

Joe Biden, 81, dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday. Prince Harry was known to enjoy a friendly relationship with President Biden’s wife Dr Jill Biden over the last decade.

Beaming Meghan was seen sharing a thumbs-up with Kimberly as she got into the waiting car after leaving Tre Lune, which unlike some of the more exclusive celebrity hotspots, is open to all members of the public.

Actress Kimberly has been married to country singer Brad Paisley for more than 20 years and the couple share two children.  

Prince Harry took part in a Stand Up for Heroes event in 2020, which also saw a performance from Brad Paisley – where the pair perhaps crossed paths. 

Known for her impressive jewellery collection, Meghan wore over £53,200 of glittering accessories on Sunday, even without including the price of the huge £271,000 engagement ring on her finger. 

The Duchess appeared to be wearing her Lorraine Schwartz Against Evil Eye Diamond Pave Bracelet, which is thought to ‘protect from the envy of others’. 

The bracelet, costing an eye-watering £14,902.41, is crafted from 18-carat white gold, with a total of 23.66 carats blue topaz, 1.86 carats white diamonds and .06 carats black diamonds.

Amongst her other accessories included a reworn £12,800 Cartier necklace, her favourite £17,800 gold Cartier Tank watch and £5,000 Cartier Love Bracelet.

Her Cartier ‘Juste Un Clou’ Collar in Yellow Gold & Diamonds seems to be making a frequent appearance in her wardrobe, as she was seen wearing it at a Vancouver Canucks ice hockey game over the winter with Prince Harry.

Hanging below the Cartier necklace was a stunning pendant with a sweet personal touch.

The £2,039.50 Ariel Golden ‘Imperial disk’ necklace is engraved with her children’s names, Archie and Lilibet.

Meghan finished her look with another designer flourish, wearing the Chanel Ballerina Cap Toe Flats in Beige and Black Lambskin, costing £820, and RayBan sunglasses (her Aviator Classics in gold).

The Duchess’ appearance comes after the world was left shocked by President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday. 

Meghan’s husband Harry has a firm friendship with President Biden’s wife Dr Jill Biden after the pair met 11 years ago when he was still representing Britain as a senior royal – and the Present even joked that his wife had spent ‘spent too much damn time’ with Harry.

Meanwhile, Meghan sent a bunch of lemons to Jill, who was ‘in on the joke’ in a nod to social media speculation that the First Lady was on ‘Team Sussex’.

The day after Harry and Meghan’s famous Oprah Winfrey interview aired in 2021, the President’s wife wore an Oscar de la Renta dress with a lemon pattern. The frock was similar to a $2,890 dress from the same designer that Meghan had worn a month before.

Fans online believed Jill’s outfit was a subtle nod of support for the Duchess, even though the First Lady had worn the dress on several occasions before that and since then.

DailyMail.com then revealed exclusively that Meghan sent the First Lady a basket of lemons in thanks and Jill was ‘in on the joke’, a source told DailyMail.com in July 2023. 

However, neither Harry nor Meghan formally endorsed President Biden in the race this year – despite their friendly relationship with his wife. 

But the Duke and Duchess have waded into US politics once again this summer, joining a campaign to warn American voters against misinformation in the upcoming presidential election.

Their Archewell Foundation and other Hollywood political players are supporting an initiative to prepare voters in America for a possible onslaught of AI deepfake information, Axios reported in April.

Specifically, the Archewell Foundation is helping brainstorm new content for the  campaign.

It is the second time around the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gotten involved in a presidential election. In the 2020 contest, they urged Americans to sign up to vote and reject misinformation.

In the aftermath, Republicans and other critics called on the Royal Family to strip the couple of their titles, calling the interference of the Duke and Duchess inappropriate. 

The involvement of the Sussexes restoked questions about Meghan’s political ambitions. 

A representative for the Duke and Duchess did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment at the time.

But Meghan’s ambitions have been talked about since she and Harry emigrated from Britain during the ‘Megxit’ crisis, including claims that she would ‘seriously consider’ running for president if her husband dropped his royal title. 

The couple also hired top former aides to Barack Obama for their foundation, fuelling the speculation about their political futures.

Then, a few years ago, a friend of the Duchess told Vanity Fair that one of the reasons Meghan did not give up her American citizenship when she married into the Royal Family was to allow her to keep open the option of entering politics. 

She has already gotten involved in policy issues; The Duchess was a vocal critic of the Supreme Court‘s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and threatened to go to Washington D.C. to march in the protests. 

She also lobbied members of Congress to approve mandatory paid parental leave, writing to then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer, as well as cold-calling senators to ask them to support the measure.

She signed her letters to the lawmakers with her royal title: ‘Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.’ 

But, in 2020, the Sussexes were accused of ‘violating’ the terms of the ‘Megxit’ deal after repeatedly urging Americans to vote in the presidential elections. 

In a video they posted online a few months before voters went to the polls, Harry and Meghan delivered a message that was widely interpreted as an endorsement of Joe Biden. 

The Duke of Sussex urged people to ‘reject hate speech’ while the Duchess called it the ‘most important election of our lifetime,’ urging Americans to the polls. 

The comments caused a stir on both sides of the Atlantic although their spokespeople argued their message was not directed at any particular candidate but was the Duke and Duchess’ way of expressing their concern about the tone in politics. 

Then-President Trump wished Harry luck in response.

‘I’m not a fan of hers,’ Trump said of Meghan. ‘I would say this – and she has probably heard that – I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he’s going to need it.’ 

Royal insiders voiced concern in Britain where the Royal Family are expected to remain politically neutral at all times, with one saying that Harry and Meghan had ‘crossed a line’. 

Buckingham Palace also distanced itself from Harry’s remarks by saying that ‘the Duke is not a working member of the royal family’ and describing his comments as ‘made in a personal capacity’. 

After the incident, Congressman Jason Smith of Missouri sent a letter to the British Ambassador to the United States, asking for Meghan and Harry to lose their titles.

Also in the runup to the 2020 election, feminist activist Gloria Steinem revealed that Meghan had joined her in cold-calling Americans and urging them to vote.

Steinem told Access Hollywood: ‘She came home to vote. The first thing we did, and why she came to see me, was we sat at the dining room table where I am right now and we cold-called voters.

‘Said “hello I’m Meg” and “hello I’m Gloria” and “are you going to vote?” That was her initiative.’

Before marrying Prince Harry in 2018, Meghan was no stranger to politics, ridiculing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during a 2016 appearance on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.

She said Trump was ‘misogynistic and divisive’ and indicated her support for Hillary Clinton. 

Meghan was last seen proudly donning a custom-made white Oscar de la Renta gown – which looked nearly identical to her wedding dress – earlier this month. 

She proudly watched on as her husband accepted the prestigious Pat Tillman Award for Service, an honour that has sparked furious backlash and controversy.

Meghan was nothing short of radiant as she donned a bespoke ensemble that looked strikingly similar to the Stella McCartney second wedding dress that she wore in 2018. 

Both designs look almost identical: both feature a high-neck halter top and a long flowing skirt.

But the only difference between the two is the neckline. Her wedding dress was more fitted, however, the Oscar de la Renta frock she wore had draped fabric around the neck. 

She paired her crisp white dress with a pair of black heels, specifically the Celine sharp sandals, which retail for around £550. 

It seems Meghan is a fan of being a ‘bridal beauty’ as she has stepped out in multiple gleaming white dresses throughout the years.

Celebrity stylist Rochelle White told FEMAIL: ‘I do think [Meghan] could have done this to show a united front and support [because of the controversial award win]. 

‘It could have been her way of showing [her] love to him and support for the award, not expecting the backlash that he received.’

Rochelle believes that the couple are still in their ‘honeymoon phase,’ adding that Meghan wanted to stand by her husband. 

‘I think they are celebrating their love and the support is there due to the controversy of the award win. 

‘She wants to show a united front, even if that is through fashion statements and items.

‘She tends to wear fitted dresses and tailoring that shows off her style and makes a statement, as I think she knows that everyone’s eyes will be on her.’ 

The former actress has stepped out in white suits, flowing ivory gowns and mini dresses since marrying the Duke of Sussex. 

When Harry’s award win was announced, Meghan rose out of her seat to give her husband a standing ovation, proudly clapping in his honour as he made his way up onto the stage.

The gong, which was named after Pat Tillman, an NFL player who gave up his lucrative career to enlist in the army in the wake of 9/11 before his death in Afghanistan in 2004, sparked a bitter controversy, with critics arguing that the honour is meant to be given to unsung veterans.

Tillman’s own mother Mary revealed to DailyMail.com that she was ‘shocked’ that the ESPYs would ‘select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award’, adding that she was not consulted over the decision.

‘There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans,’ she said.

‘These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognised.’