Meghan Markle’s California chic: Duchess dons £4,935 Max Mara cashmere coat, £294 Givenchy sunglasses and £548 Aquazzura flats for Beverly Hills lunch with her wedding dress designer

Meghan Markle showcased her Californian style on Thursday for a lunch date with her wedding dress designer at the at the new celebrity hotspot, Cipriani in Beverly Hills.

Looking typically stylish, the Duchess of Sussex, 42, rewore her tobacco-coloured cashmere Max Mara coat $6,250 (£4,935) for the occasion, teamed with $372 (£294) Givenchy pilot sunglasses.

Colour coordinating with her jacket, the mother-of-two carried a limited-edition suede clutch by Cesta Collective that comes with a $490 (£386) price tag. 

She completed her look with a black Bleusalt turtleneck, $845 (£667) belted trousers by Ulla Johnson, and $695 (£548) ballet flats by Aquazzure. 

Emerging from the Italian restaurant in her stylish coat while experiencing warm 66°F (18°C) weather, Meghan was joined by British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, the former artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy responsible for Meghan’s bridal gown.

Meghan Markle showcased her Californian style on Thursday for a lunch date with her wedding dress designer at the at the new celebrity hotspot, Cipriani in Beverly Hills

After her wedding, Meghan wore a number of Clare’s Givenchy designs – turning to the label to dress her for many prominent engagements, including her June 2018 outing at Royal Ascot. 

In December 2018, Meghan made clear how close the two women had become when she made a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards, where she presented Clare with the prestigious British Womenswear Designer of the Year award. Clare left Givenchy in 2020 and last year created a new affordable line with Uniqlo.

Meghan’s surprise appearance at the newly opened eatery comes as she helped open a new wing of an animal charity in London, with the announcement of her virtual visit made via her and Harry’s glossy new Sussex.com website. 

Cipriani Beverly Hills, which is part of the storied fourth-generation-family Italian restaurant brand, only opened its doors in January of this year, following the opening of locations in Venice, Milan, New York and Las Vegas.

There was no sign of Meghan’s husband Prince Harry at the lunch outing.

Meghan recently put her new Sussex.com website to use when she was able to honour her late friend Oli Juste by opening a new wing of an animal charity named for him.

Juste was a dog trainer and behaviourist who died in 2022. 

As his friends and family assembled for the opening of the Oli Juste wing, Meghan got emotional in her video address as she recounted how devastated she was to learn of her friend’s death in January 2022.

In her Sussex.com announcement, she shared a cute photo of herself in an elegant beige coat as she crouched down to bond with an adorable Jack Russell Terrier.

Looking typically stylish, the Duchess of Sussex , 42, rewore her tobacco-coloured cashmere Max Mara coat $6,250 (£4,935) for the occasion, teamed with $372 (£294) Givenchy pilot sunglasses

Colour coordinating with her jacket, the mother-of-two carried a limited-edition suede clutch by Cesta Collective that comes with a $490 (£386) price tag 

Meghan completed her look with a black Bleusalt turtleneck, $845 (£667) belted trousers by Ulla Johnson, and $695 (£548) ballet flats by Aquazzure 

‘A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful team at Mayhew who have worked tirelessly to bring this dream to life,’ she gushed in her message to the animal charity.

‘It was so important to find a way to celebrate Oli’s memory in a manner that he would have loved.

‘Mayhew is a beacon of hope for those in need and a shining example of what can be achieved when we work together,’ she added.

The virtual appearance came just days after Meghan’s husband Prince Harry reportedly told some of his friends that he was willing to return to the UK to attend to royal duties.

Sources told The Times that Harry, 39, wanted to help carry some of the load as his father King Charles, 75, undergoes cancer treatments.

However, royal expert Hugh Vickers told MailOnline that his presence wasn’t desired by the royal family, despite reports that Charles is still keen to reconcile with him.

‘I personally, actually don’t think that there’s any wish on anyone’s side for him to come home at the moment, and take up royal duties again,’ Vickers said.

‘He can’t suddenly pick up royal duties again, under the present circumstances, it’s quite a long way [away]. It’s always possible to reconcile. It’s always possible for things to be sorted out, but not that quickly. So no, is the answer.’ 

Vickers continued: ‘His father has never responded to any of the jibes that have come in his direction [and] has left the door wide open for [Harry].

‘The other day, he came to see him and I would hope that was a tonic for the King. I don’t know whether it was, but I hope so because he obviously loves his son,’ he added.

Though Harry is a counsellor of state, both he and Meghan stepped down from their positions as working royals in 2020.

Experts have said they believe he is not currently being considered to return to any senior duties.