Well, folks, I’m pleased to be able to bring you a Royalist exclusive: the first sighting of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, in her new home country.
It was an early trip. She arrived alone, I’m told, before 9 a.m., and made her way directly to the relaxed upstairs area known as the Comfy Farm (a sort of lounge space above the main restaurant from which children are banned). When she arrived, sources say, a considerable “fanfare” was made of her, and she was informally introduced to several senior staff members by name, suggesting that they at least hope she will be a regular.
Meghan is thought to be a member of the club. She has often been spotted at its venues, and her close friend Markus Anderson has spent many years as a senior executive at the company (he is now its chief relationship officer).
“It is a good time of day to go there,” one source tells me. Soho Farmhouse is “absolutely lovely” in the early morning, when it isn’t busy, my source says.
Although it has become somewhat more mainstream in its overall intake in recent years, it remains a genuine celebrity refuge, largely because members and their guests are not allowed to take photographs there. Celebrities feel protected. It’s £325 a month to be a member.
“You will still see Paul McCartney drinking a cup of coffee, or the Beckhams having dinner, and a million influencers who you might never have heard of but your kids will tell you are massive,” my source says.
The Beckhams live nearby, so they often walk across the fields and use the place as a canteen, another source tells me. Simon Cowell is a fixture and his wife Lauren. Meghan and Harry rented a house in the nearby village of Great Tew when they were working royals.
Still, I find it interesting that the first sighting is at the single most predictable place in the world.
There has been speculation that the Sussexes have been looking at property near Soho Farmhouse, and there is one house in particular, quite close by, which I’m told has been on the market for a long time and could suit them: a big house with a decent amount of land. There are still no confirmed sightings of their children attending any of the prep schools in the area. Plenty of rumors, mind you.
The visit to “Farmhouse”, as locals call it, meshes with a story in The Sun saying Meghan would be keeping a low profile for her first few weeks here. In fairness, she didn’t turn up with a camera crew, and members are not supposed to tell ink-stained wretches like me about the comings and goings of other members.
And while not technically open to the public, non-members can gain access easily enough, either as a member’s guest or by booking a room (which requires only a “Soho Friends” membership, a £100-a-year tier anyone can apply for, free of the waiting lists attached to full membership). The bar isn’t restricted to members alone; it’s open to members, their guests, and anyone staying on site.
It is also, I think, worth reporting because her office are STILL refusing to officially confirm she is living in the U.K., along with the 5th, 6th and 7th in line to the throne. That she is popping into Soho House and being introduced to staffers suggests that she is indeed trying to put down roots here.
Meghan’s rep did not reply to a request for comment.
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