Meghan Markle’s unexpected gesture amid royal ‘race row’

As pressure mounts for Meghan and Harry to speak out on the current scandal engulfing the royals, the duchess has made a surprising call.

Meghan Markle has been spotted for the first time since a controversial royal book appeared to identify the family members who allegedly questioned Prince Archie’s skin tone.

The massive scandal erupted last week when it emerged that the Dutch version of Omid Scobie’s Endgame named King Charles and Kate Middleton as those whom Meghan had referred to in her explosive allegations to Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

Copies of the book published in all other territories specified that Mr. Scobie was refusing to name the people involved on legal advice.

Amid growing calls for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to break their silence on the allegations, the Duchess of Sussex, 42, was seen in Santa Barbara on Monday, wearing what appeared to be the diamond bracelet gifted to her by Charles ahead of her 2018 wedding.

Meghan has been seen out and about. Picture: BACKGRID

She wore a big smile – and apparently, the bracelet Charles gave her before her wedding. Picture: Backgrid

The choice of accessory has been viewed as a subtle gesture of support for her father-in-law, as she’s only worn it twice publicly in the last 18 months. First, at the 2022 Invictus Games, and then again while on a hike in May.

Meghan first debuted the stunning bracelet as she arrived at her Windsor hotel the night before the royal wedding.

She’s worn it several times since - including at Charles’ 70th birthday in 2018 and during a Commonwealth Day service in London a year later - but is more frequently seen with a stack of gold bracelets, paired with Princess Diana’s Cartier watch. This time, however, Meghan opted to layer it on top of her gold Cartier love bracelet, giving it a more rigid look.

Meghan previously wore the accessory for Charles’ 70th birthday celebration in May 2018. Picture: Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images

She also wore it at a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March 2019. Picture: Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty Images

There has been frenzied speculation about the identities of those involved in the alleged race scandal ever since Meghan explained to Oprah that Harry had told her there had been “concerns and conversations” within his family about “how dark” their unborn child’s skin might be.

The couple has barely referenced the claims since, with sources close to them insisting that they “never intended” for those at the centre of it to be “publicly identified”.

Whether they did or not, the allegations are now in the public domain - and debate continues to rage over exactly how Charles and Kate’s names appeared in the Dutch edition of Endgame.

The book’s translator has already refuted Mr. Scobie’s claims that it was a translation “error”, insisting that she was handed a manuscript which included the names.

“The names of the royals were there in black and white. I did not add them,” Saskia Peeters told MailOnline.

“I just did what I was paid to do and that was translate the book from English into Dutch.”

Meanwhile, Charles and William’s households are now reportedly engaged in high-level talks as they deal with the fallout of the scandal – and “all options”, including legal avenues, are on the table.

“Discussions are being had, and we’ll continue those discussions this week, but not in a crisis talks manner,” a source close to the palace told the UK’s Telegraph.

“Conversations will be had and decisions made with care and time and professionalism rather than rushed over a weekend.”