--- title: Meghan Markle Emphasizes Power of Food in First Royal Speech description: In her first public speech as a member of the royal family, Meghan Markle celebrated the release of her charity cookbook. canonical: https://time.com/5401985/meghan-markle-first-royal-speech/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-20T16:25:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:54:59.273Z og:title: Meghan Markle Goes Without Notes for First Royal Speech og:description: 'Food is more than just the meal itself' she said at her charity cookbook launch og:url: https://time.com/5401985/meghan-markle-first-royal-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bee3a729670f4ec/69893abafb4eac76bb897b1d/meghan-markle-first-royal-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: The Duchess Of Sussex Hosts 'Together' Cookbook Launch og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Meghan Markle Goes Without Notes for First Royal Speech twitter:description: 'Food is more than just the meal itself' she said at her charity cookbook launch twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bee3a729670f4ec/69893abafb4eac76bb897b1d/meghan-markle-first-royal-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'More Than Just the Meal.' Meghan Markle Emphasizes the Power of Food in First Royal Speech  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Sep 20, 2018 4:25 PM UTC  Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks to guests during an event to mark the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace on September 20, 2018 in London, England. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks to guests during an event to mark the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace on September 20, 2018 in London, England.Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Sep 20, 2018 4:25 PM UTC In her first public speech as a member of the royal family, [Meghan Markle](http://time.com/5381260/meghan-markle-prince-harry-wedding-display/) celebrated the release of her [charity cookbook](http://time.com/5398252/meghan-markle-cookbook/): [_Together: Our Community Cookbook_](http://time.com/money/5398032/meghan-markle-cookbook/). Speaking without notes at Thursday’s Kensington Palace launch event, the Duchess of Sussex gushed over the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen, a group of displaced Londoners who came together to cook for their families and neighbors in the wake of last year’s [Grenfell Tower fire](http://time.com/4830302/grenfell-tower-london-fire/). The cookbook includes over 50 recipes from the Hubb chefs. “Working on this project for the past nine months has been a tremendous labor of love,” Markle said. “I just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by this kitchen—your warmth and kindness, and also to be able to be in this city and to see in this one small room how multicultural it was.” > [](https://twitter.com/chrisshipitv/status/1042756218954149888) Markle went on to emphasize the power that food can have in people’s lives. “I said in the foreword that 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’s the story behind it,” she said. “When we get to know the story of the recipe, you get to know the person behind it. That’s what we’re talking about in terms of coming together to really engage and talk and to be able to celebrate what connects us rather than what divides us. That, I believe, is the ethos of _Together_.” > [](https://twitter.com/chrisshipitv/status/1042756218954149888) Both Prince Harry and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, were also in attendance to support Markle’s first solo charity project as a royal. Prince Harry was even right there by her side for a human moment. > [](https://twitter.com/chrisshipitv/status/1042793934215434241) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5401985/meghan-markle-first-royal-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5401985/meghan-markle-first-royal-speech/"},"headline":"'More Than Just the Meal.' 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