AMANDA PLATELL: Meghan apparently wanted to keep out of the limelight with her move back to Blighty... but her Claridge's tea with Nobel Prize winner Malala - wearing a £26,000 outfit - has none of us

If Meghan truly hoped her return to Britain would be low-key, someone forgot to tell Claridge’s. Because there are discreet arrivals, and then there is stepping out for one of London’s most watched afternoon teas in an outfit reportedly worth around £26,000, alongside Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, and expecting the country not to stare.

According to reports, the Duchess of Sussex was keen to keep out of the limelight after re-establishing herself on this side of the Atlantic. Yet in royal circles, a public appearance at one of the capital’s most glittering hotels was always going to send tongues wagging. Add Malala, a global figure admired across the political and celebrity spectrum, and the meeting instantly became the sort of image that dominates conversation.

It is not difficult to see why eyebrows are being raised. Meghan has long projected a carefully curated blend of compassion, purpose and polished style, and this outing appeared to deliver all three in one perfect package. But for critics, the optics are impossible to ignore: an elite London setting, a rarefied guest list and a price-tag wardrobe at odds with any suggestion of seeking a quieter life.

The setting matters, too. Claridge’s is not merely a hotel; it is practically a character in Britain’s social history, beloved by royals, statesmen and stars. To be seen there is to make a statement, however softly one might try to make it. And in Meghan’s case, every appearance is now filtered through years of bitter debate over privacy, profile and whether she ever really wanted one without the other.

That is, of course, the familiar Sussex paradox. Ever since Meghan and Harry stepped back from official royal duties, there has been a running tension between their stated desire for space and the very public platforms they continue to inhabit. Supporters say they were never asking to disappear, only to control the terms of their visibility. Detractors, unsurprisingly, see something rather different.

The Malala connection gives this latest outing an added layer. Few would dispute that meeting a Nobel laureate known for championing girls’ education and courage under pressure carries real substance. Fans believe Meghan’s appearance may signal a renewed interest in high-profile advocacy in Britain, perhaps a reminder that she still sees herself as a player on the global humanitarian stage, regardless of her fractured relationship with the Royal Family.

Yet the fashion chatter has threatened to eclipse the purpose. In Britain, especially now, displays of lavish spending can land badly, and reports of a wardrobe costing more than many people earn in months have inevitably sharpened the criticism. For some, it feeds the idea that Meghan remains exquisitely alert to image, even when the message is meant to be one of modest engagement.

There is also the wider royal backdrop. The House of Windsor has always understood symbolism better than almost anyone: where one appears, with whom, and wearing what are never just incidental details. Meghan learned that quickly during her brief royal life, and many observers suspect she knows exactly how a tea at Claridge’s with Malala would play in the British imagination.

Still, others will argue this is unfairly cynical. Why shouldn’t two high-profile women meet in elegant surroundings and discuss serious issues? Why must Meghan be judged by a standard that turns every hemline, hotel doorway and social engagement into a constitutional crisis? In that reading, the fuss says more about Britain’s obsession with her than it does about anything she actually did.

Even so, the central question lingers. If this was meant to be a chapter of retreat, it is a curious way to write it. Because whether the intention was influence, networking, soft diplomacy or simply tea with an admired figure, the result was the same: Meghan was back in the spotlight, and all eyes were on her.

So was this a meaningful meeting unfairly overshadowed by sniping about clothes and status, or proof that Meghan’s idea of keeping a low profile is very different from everyone else’s?