Meghan Markle was spotted shopping up a storm ahead of the Easter weekend as she browsed vintage items at a local children's store in Montecito.
The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex enjoyed a trip to a toy shop on 1 April and was photographed leaving with two brown bags in hand as she returned to her black Range Rover.
Peaking out of the top of one of the bags was a box brandishing the beloved 90s toy, Magic Castle Sea-Monkeys, an "instant-life" novelty pet kit with hybrid brine shrimp that hatch in water and grow into small, translucent crustaceans.
The former Suits actress also purchased Magic Rabbit playing cards, according to People, who claimed she was at the shop to buy presents for her godchildren and children ahead of the festivities.
For her outing, she kept things casual, opting for a pair of blue skinny jeans and a dark beige windbreaker jacket that hung loosely past her thighs. The coat featured massive pockets and billowing sleeves that could be pulled tighter with drawstrings.
She concealed her face with a white baseball cap and added an Hermès silk scarf with red and blue stripes, which she wrapped around her neck. Meghan wore camel-coloured suede loafers on her feet as she made her way back to her waiting car, with what appeared to be her driver in tow.
What does a psychotherapist think about Meghan's choice of toy?
HELLO! asked Swift Psychology's child and adolescent therapist, Laura Gwilt, to tell us what Meghan's vintage toy picks were indicative of in terms of her parenting style and the approach she is taking to incorporate learning into playtime.
Laura explained: "From a developmental perspective, vintage toys (like Sea Monkeys, building sets, dolls, or other open-ended materials) tend to support active, imaginative, and self-directed play, which is strongly linked to cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.
"Importantly, these toys don’t prescribe how a child should play, meaning children have to generate ideas themselves, a process associated with the development of creativity, resilience, and executive functioning skills."
She added: "In contrast, many modern screen-based activities are more externally directed and faster-paced, often providing immediate feedback and frequent rewards. Research suggests that this kind of rapid stimulation can place higher demands on attention systems, whereas slower-paced activities, whether play or media, allow more space for sustained attention, deeper processing, and imaginative engagement.
"That said, it’s not about 'good' versus 'bad'. Screens have become a normal part of modern childhood and can be beneficial in moderation. The key difference is that traditional toys are more likely to promote deep, effortful play, whereas digital activities often provide quicker, more immediately rewarding experiences with less cognitive demand," the therapist surmised.
Laura concluded: "For children, a balanced environment that includes both, but prioritises opportunities for hands-on, imaginative, and slower-paced engagement, is likely to be most beneficial for development."
Meghan's Easter plans
The Duchess of Sussex spent the Easter weekend with her husband Prince Harry, and their two children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, in their Californian home.
She shared an update to her Instagram account documenting the weekend and offered followers a look inside her wholesome family life.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesCaptioning the post: "Happy Easter!", the mum-of-two uploaded an adorable video of her children running around her garden searching for eggs and carrying huge woven baskets filled with goodies.
Lilibet was dressed in a summery light pink long dress with tiny flowers covering its entirety. She wore a pair of pink and white bunny ears on her head and roamed around the outside space with bare feet.
Archie raced his sister across the grass in a dark blue jacket and some stone-grey trousers. He had on a pair of black trainers and a white T-shirt for the day of fun in the garden.
