Meghan first visited the kitchen in January and has made a number other private trips to the centre near Grenfell Tower to meet volunteers since
MEGHAN Markle has spoken of her pride in London as she was joined by mum Doria Ragland for the first time in the UK since the Royal Wedding today.
The Duchess of Sussex, 37, beamed as she described the 'multicultural' capital while launching a cookbook written by neighbours of Grenfell Tower disaster victims.
Ms Ragland, 62, was heard introducing herself as "Meg's mom" to members of the group.
There have been rumours Meghan's mum has been looking to move to the UK to be closer to her daughter in recent weeks.
Meghan called the book "a tremendous labour of love" in a speech to volunteers from the kitchen and paid tribute to their community spirit.
As Harry and her mother watched on with pride, she described first going to visit the kitchen in January and being overcome by the welcome from the group.
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Meghan, Harry and Doria Ragland posed with members of the group
She said: "I had just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by the women in the kitchen and their warmth and their kindness.
"On a personal level, I feel so proud to live in a city with so much diversity. There are 12 different countries represented just in this room, it's pretty outstanding.
"Everyone embraced this so deeply because it's been a passionate project for all of us - and for good reason."
Meghan has made a number of secret visits to the kitchen since her first visit as she worked with volunteers on her first solo project as a Royal.
The recipes in the book have all been created by cooks from the centre and will support residents affected by the Grenfell fire and others in the West London community.
Meghan, 37, helped put the group in touch with a publisher and her Royal Foundation provided assistance with legal and administrative issues.
All proceeds will go back to the Hubb and the book is available in stores this week. Hubb means "love" in Arabic.
In her foreword in the book, Meghan said the kitchen was a "place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook".
She added: "With the support of dynamic women from all walks of life, we have come together with a united vision to empower other women to share their stories through food."
A total of 72 people were killed in the Grenfell Tower disaster in West London in June last year after fire swept through the 24-storey tower block.
The 50 dishes in the book are the volunteers' own recipes from across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.#
I’M so privileged to know you. Working on this project for the past nine months has been a tremendous labour of love.
I have just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by the women in the kitchen, by your kindness and to be in this city and be in this room and see how multicultural it was.
On a personal level I feel so proud to live in a city with so much diversity. This whole country is represented by the people in the kitchen.
It’s pretty outstanding.
There’s so many people to thank — I’m extremely grateful because this is my first project and I appreciate your support.
It truly took a village to see this through. Everyone has embraced this so fully because it has been a passion project for us all.
As I said, this is more than a cookbook and what I mean by that is, the power of food is more than just the meal itself — it is the story behind it.
And when you get to know the story behind the recipe, you get to know the person behind it and help us to celebrate what connects us rather than divides us. That is the ethos of Together.
Thank you so much for letting me be part of this and letting me be on this adventure with you.
I am so excited to see the projects we will continue to do in your community and also how you will inspire people around the globe by sharing your stories and your recipes. It’s so impactful.
You can see that in just a few days alone what’s happened, and the book’s not out yet.
What you have been able to do is a testament to what that means to people. I’m so proud of you.
So on that note, I know that some of you have started eating — as you should — and I’d be the last one to want to let the food get cold.
So please enjoy your beautiful lunch and give another round of applause for the Hubb Community Kitchen.
Thank you.
