Meghan Markle spotted at countryside retreat in first sighting since returning to the UK – report

Meghan Markle has been sighted for the first time since returning to the UK, according to multiple reports. 

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, was spotted at Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds last Friday, according to Daily Beast editor-at-large Tom Sykes and reports in The Guardian. 

Meghan was said to have arrived at the Comfy Farm lounge before 9am at the retreat in North Oxfordshire, which is one of the potential areas Meghan and Harry could have set up home. 

Members of Soho Farmhouse said Meghan had an early morning coffee and was introduced to senior staff members by name and with "considerable fanfare", Tom Sykes reported. 

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Mother-of-two Meghan has been keeping a low profile since her return to the UK with Harry, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet almost two weeks ago, on 26 August. 

Meghan has yet to be publicly photographed, although the Duke resurfaced on Monday at Tower Bridge Studios, a recording and filming location in London. 

Meghan's long-time connection to Soho Farmhouse

The Duchess has had a long-time connection to Soho Farmhouse and, if her family has indeed settled in the Cotswolds, she'll likely be spending much more time there. 

She reportedly had her bachelorette party at the retreat in 2018 before her wedding to Prince Harry. 

© Photo: Instagram

And Meghan is still friendly with Markus Anderson, a Soho House executive, who spent time with the couple when they still lived in California. 

She and Harry also have a close connection to the Cotswolds as an area, as they previously rented a home in Oxfordshire while Frogmore Cottage – their former UK residence – underwent renovations. 

"They have lots of friends in the area," a source told HELLO! previously. "Meghan is close to Ellen DeGeneres, who lives there with her wife, Portia de Rossi, as does Simon Cowell, who is friends with Prince Harry."

Prince Harry and Meghan respond to King Charles's letter

The reports come as Prince Harry and Meghan reacted to a letter sent on behalf of King Charles on Monday, officially confirming their continued status as non-working royals. 

The Sussexes said they were "surprised" after receiving the document, which was shared with them before it was made public.

© Tower Bridge Studios

Their spokesperson said: "They were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance." 

Lord Benyon’s letter reiterated the King’s stance in August, when Harry and Meghan announced their return, that there would be no alteration to their role and status as private individuals and non-working royals.

It read: "It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used.

© Getty Images for the Invictus Ga

"The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests."

The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 amid the Megxit crisis and moved to the US for a new life of personal and financial freedom.