Restaurantgoers at Ojai, California’s The Dutchess took in a rare sight recently: an actual duchess dining there. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were seen on a date at the bakery, café, and restaurant. Multiple sources confirmed the outing to Hello! and one onlooker shared details on what the couple was like off-camera and off-duty.
“They came in just the two of them, and it was very impromptu, no reservations, very low key,” the source said. “They loved the food—the naans are made in house, they take two days to make from scratch, in an imported Tandori oven. The chef even makes his own ghee. Everyone said they were really great, and they had a very pleasant time.”
Here’s a look at some of the menu offerings:
Hello! noted the restaurant was about 20 miles from the Montecito, California home, and the couple’s two children, 3-year-old Archie and 1-year-old Lili, were not with them.
Meghan spoke about her life at home with Archie, Lili, and Harry on the latest episode of her Spotify podcast Archetypes, released last Tuesday. Meghan said, “Lili is…just started walking. She’s a year and a couple of months old and Archie’s just over three years old. So yeah they are….oh I’m in the thick of it. Toddling.”
She added that Harry helps a lot with the family’s morning routine, and she herself is very hands-on. “So the morning rush, I’m sure it’ll only get more chaotic as they get older, but for me, it’s—you know, both monitors on for the kids to hear them, always up with Lili. Get her downstairs,” Meghan started. “Then a half hour later, Archie’s up. Start doing his lunchbox right before he’s up, while I have her getting little nibble. My husband’s helping me get him downstairs, and it’s—I make breakfast for all three of them. It’s very important to me. I love doing it.”
“And it just, to me, feels like the greatest way to start the morning,” she continued. “And then it’s like, feed all three of the dogs, because we just got another dog, and then get Archie out the door to school and, you know, but it does, it feels like a whirlwind.”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
