Meghan’s UK life comes into view as close friend shares rare glimpse of Sussex family life

Meghan Markle’s return to Britain has offered a rare glimpse into a quieter side of life for the Sussexes, with a close friend sharing photographs of family time, countryside outings and a traditional pub meal of fish and chips with mashed peas.

Former model Kelly McKee Zajfen became the first of Meghan and Prince Harry’s California-based friends to visit the couple in the UK since their return last month.

Zajfen, who appeared in Meghan’s Netflix series With Love, Meghan, shared a series of photographs from the visit on Instagram, describing the experience as a special chapter spent alongside her longtime friend.

Among the photographs, Meghan can be seen cuddling Zajfen’s baby son Jack, while Harry is pictured playing with the youngster on the floor at the Sussexes’ new home.

Princess Lilibet also appears spending time with Jack, while another image shows Meghan, Zajfen and Marcus Anderson, another close friend of the Duchess, enjoying time together.

The visit included a trip to a country pub for fish and chips served with mashed peas, a detail Zajfen highlighted in her heartfelt account of the trip.

She also shared photographs of walks and relaxed moments with friends, describing Meghan as her “bestie” and saying she had enjoyed seeing this new chapter of her life through her eyes.

“To everyone we’ve met or bumped into, thank you for being so loving to my friend. It’s been beautiful to witness. She missed you too!” Zajfen wrote.

“There’s something so special about getting a taste of this magical place with my bestie, and having my sweet Jack along for the adventure.”

She added that she had “loved seeing this sweet chapter through her eyes and daily adventures”, particularly experiencing “so many little firsts” with her son by her side.

Zajfen later summed up the trip by writing: “Family time is just what the heart ordered. With a side of mashed peas and fish n chips! All of it has filled my heart.”

“GB you’ve been so good to us. We’re leaving with full hearts and definitely leaving a piece of ours here.”

Another photograph showed Meghan, Zajfen and Anderson drinking wine together.

Zajfen, who is also a co-founder of the Alliance of Moms, has previously described Meghan as the “most amazing, nurturing, fun, loving human”.

The visit came as Meghan was making her first public appearances in Britain since the Sussexes returned to the UK last month.

She was spotted this week at a Cotswolds pub with Hollywood star Ellen DeGeneres and her partner, Portia de Rossi.

It marked Meghan’s first time being seen publicly in the UK since 2022. She appeared relaxed during the outing, wearing a loose-fitting blue shirt, white trousers and sunglasses as she chatted and laughed with DeGeneres, 68, and de Rossi, 53.

Meghan is also understood to have visited celebrity favourite Soho Farmhouse earlier this month, although she was not photographed at the members-only retreat.

Friends of Harry and Meghan previously said the couple had been trying to avoid being spotted while they settled their children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, before school.

The children were initially enrolled at a school after the family’s return, but were taken out after only two days following concerns raised by private security guards.

Traffic was among the issues surrounding the school arrangements, with congestion during the school run creating what was described as a “pinch point”. The problems ultimately contributed to the couple moving the children to another school.

The school developments came only hours after it emerged that Harry and Meghan would receive their first government Ravec security review since 2020.

For now, Zajfen’s photographs provide a rare personal look at the Sussexes’ life in Britain, showing Meghan and Harry spending time with close friends and their children away from the more public moments surrounding their return.