The food charity that Meghan Markle focused her efforts on shortly after becoming a working royal has quietly closed its doors. The Duchess of Sussex supported the Hubb Community Kitchen in west London, and even released a cookbook with the organisation in 2018.
The Hubb Community Kitchen was formed in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which tragically killed 72 people, and whose volunteers were made up of survivors at Al Manaar mosque. It aimed to provide meals to bereaved families.
Meghan, now 44, frequently visited the kitchen in her time as a working royal. Additionally, in collaboration with The Royal Foundation and Penguin Random House, they even published a book Together: Our Community Cookbook, which featured a foreword from the duchess.
To celebrate the release of the book, Prince Harry's wife hosted a launch at Kensington Palace, which her mother Doria Ragland flew in from the US specially to attend. "I immediately felt connected to this community kitchen; it is a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook together," she said.
© Getty ImagesWhile the charity's momentum waned after Meghan stepped back from royal duties alongside the Duke of Sussex in 2020, HELLO! understands that the kitchen was always intended to be a temporary, time-limited hub to support Grenfell survivors who had been displaced and were living in accommodation without cooking facilities.
To mark the third anniversary of the fire in 2020, Meghan dialed in for a video call with the volunteers from LA. She said: "I think back to when I met all of you and how you had all come together in the wake of what you experienced in your community, and now what you have done is such an inspiration, you continue to give back, you continue to put love in action. And that’s really what Hubb is all about... we know it means love but you are the example of love in action, and that is your purpose."
© Getty ImagesAccording to the Daily Mail, the duchess' last known outreach to the organisation was on the fifth anniversary in 2022. On that occasion, the organisation shared on their Facebook page: "Always very thoughtful, today we received a lovely voice message from the Duchess, being the 5 years anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy, asking how we are, about our children and families and giving us news of hers. Just being her beautiful kind self."
It is unclear if there has been contact since, and a spokesperson for the Hubb Community Kitchen confirmed to the Daily Mail that their work had since "stopped".
A source tells HELLO!, "The project wound down because its purpose had been fulfilled: those families have since been rehoused in permanent accommodation with kitchens, meaning there is no longer a need for the facility to operate."
In recent years, Meghan's charitable efforts have focused closer to home in California - and through the Archewell Foundation, now-Archewell Philanthropies, she and the duke supported those affected by the LA fires in early 2025.
