Meghan Markle wears $6,250 winter coat in warm Beverly Hills sunshine for lunch with her wedding dress designer at celebrity haunt Cipriani… after surprise virtual appearance for London charity

Meghan Markle showcased her high-end winter wardrobe on the sunny streets of Los Angeles on Thursday for a lunch date with her wedding dress designer at the new celebrity hotspot, Cipriani Beverly Hills.

The 42-year-old Suits star–turned–Duchess of Sussex flashed a smile for paparazzi as she emerged from the Italian restaurant into the warm 66°F weather wearing a $6,250 (£5,000) Max Mara cashmere coat in a 'tobacco' shade. 

She carried a matching limited-edition suede clutch by Cesta Collective that comes with a $490 (£385) price tag. 

She also wore a black Bleusalt turtleneck, slacks by Ulla Johnson, shoes by Aquazzure and Givenchy sunglasses. 

She 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 and British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller dined at new celebrity haunt Cipriani Beverly Hills on Thursday

The 42-year-old Suits star–turned–Duchess of Sussex wore a $6,250 (£5,000) Max Mara winter coat in the warm LA weather 

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 Ascot alongside the Queen. 

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 buzzy 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, though the couple appear to be looking to increase their public presence.

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

Juste was a dog trainer and behaviorist 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.

She also wore a black Bleusalt turtleneck, slacks by Ulla Johnson, shoes by Aquazzure and Givenchy sunglasses 

She carried a matching limited-edition suede clutch by Cesta Collective that comes with a $490 price tag 

Her dark tresses were impeccably styled into long, lustrous curls that were draped across her chest

Her surprise appearance at the buzzy new 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

'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 of London 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.' 

She was honoring her late friend Oli Juste, who died in January 2022, by opening the wing after it was named in his honor

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 of London 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

'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 said

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

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.