Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland charms Grenfell cooks with BIG promise

Meghan, Doria and Prince Harry attended the official launch of Together: Our Community Cookbook, a joint fundraising publication dedicated to helping victims of the Grenfell fire.

Doria surprised guests with her appearance, attending her first royal event since she saw Meghan walk down the aisle in May.

The trio were seen greeting and mingling with guests, while Meghan put her culinary skills to the test and helped cook dishes for an enormous feast.

Harry and Doria watched in awe as Meghan took centre stage, lightening up the room with her presence in her first ever solo royal project.

Introducing herself as "Meg's mom", Doria embraced guests and told them: "It's amazing. I'm just as excited as you are."

Women from the Hubb Community kitchen cooked a huge lunch for invitees, with an international menu embodying their cultural roots.

The dishes, which are showcased in the cookbook include European, Middle Eastern, African recipes, were inspired by the women's very own heritage.

After the lunch, Meghan, her husband Harry, and Doria stayed behind as they chatted and took pictures with women from the Hubb Community kitchen.

Doria promised to make every dish in the book, she told the cooks, expressing how excited she was to try out their recipes.

Speaking to the women, Doria said: "I'm so glad I can put the face with the recipes.

"I'm going to tell everyone, I met her (each of the cooks)! I'm going to make everything, I'm serious."

The Duchess of Sussex paid her first visit to the Al Manaar cultural centre in January, where the Hubb Community kitchen is located, and said she "immediately felt connected" to the women and their work.

She then made secret trips throughout year to learn more about what they do, before deciding to collaborate with them and help publish a book to help fund the kitchen.

Speaking to guests at the cookbook launch, Doria said Meghan "felt very much at home" at the local kitchen.

In the foreword for Together: Our Community Cookbook, the Duchess wrote: "I immediately felt connected to this community kitchen; it is a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook together.

"Melding cultural identities under a shared roof, it creates a space to feel a sense of normalcy - in its simplest form, the universal need to connect, nurture, and commune through food, through crisis or joy - something we can all relate to.

"Through this charitable endeavour, the proceeds will allow the kitchen to thrive and keep the global spirit of community alive."

The Duchess, 37, said she was "so proud" to live in London, as she delivered a heartwarming speech to guests.

She said: "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."

All proceeds from the book sales will go to funding their local kitchen - the Hubb Community kitchen - dedicated to providing food for victims of the Grenfell fire.

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