Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s recent trip to New York City included a visit to the historic home of activist Gloria Steinem—whom the Duchess of Sussex was seen happily embracing in a new video montage of the couple’s experiences in the Big Apple.
Meghan, 44, and Harry, 41, had originally traveled to the East Coast from their $14.65 million home in Montecito, CA, to accept a prestigious honor at the third annual World Mental Health Day Gala, hosted by Project Healthy Minds.
However, in addition to attending the glitzy event—where they were named as “humanitarians of the year”—the duo also found the time to sneak in some other activities, including a visit to see Gloria, 91, at the brownstone home where she has lived since the late 1960s.
“Until the next time, NYC—thanks for the memories!” Meghan captioned the Instagram video. “You really know how to charm a gal.”
The video, which featured an array of different clips that were taken over the course of a few days, showed Harry and Meghan preparing for their red carpet appearance at the gala, laughing together backstage as they ran over their speech for the event.
Meghan Markle visited activist Gloria Steinem at her New York City home during the Sussexes’ recent trip to the Big Apple, sharing a video of the two women sharing a sweet hug on her Instagram account. (Instagram/Meghan Markle)
They were also seen settling into their accommodations for the trip, where Meghan was presented with an enormous rack of outfits to choose from for her various engagements, as well as a long line of shoes.
Harry could be seen wearing a casual pair of sweatpants and leaning against a doorframe as his wife surveyed her many clothing options.
At one point, the mother of two was seen perfecting her own glam for the mental health-focused gala, sitting at a brightly lit vanity and dabbing her pout with a pale pink lipstick, before heading off to the star-studded soiree.
However, on the day after the event—in addition to attending another Project Healthy Minds engagement—Meghan and Harry had the opportunity for some downtime, which saw them tucking into a classic New York City pizza slice and paying a visit to Gloria at her longtime home.
A clip shared by Meghan shows Gloria perched on a bright red armchair in the living room of her abode, with the Duchess of Sussex perched on the arm, before leaning over to give the activist and author—whom she has been friends with since 2020—a hug.
Behind the chair, a yellow wall can be seen in the shot, as well as a ceiling with elegant crown molding, a large wooden armoire with a full-length mirror on the front, several plants, and a sleek wooden chair.
Many of the pieces could also be seen in an Architectural Digest shoot that Gloria did at her house in December 2024, when she opened up about the decades she had spent living at the abode—and how it had evolved into a true home.
The activist explained that she first moved in to the “parlor floor” of the brownstone in 1968, five years after she published her debut book, “A Bunny’s Tale,” a project that afforded her enough income to afford a place to stay.
However, living on one floor of the property was by no means a luxurious experience.
To maximize space, Gloria and her roommate built a loft space out of a discarded piece of porch that they found in a Connecticut dumpster, with the writer revealing that installing the separate level allowed them enough room to install one bed in the apartment.
“Whoever came in first at night got the bed up on the porch, and the other got the couch,” she joked.
Meghan, 44, and Harry, 41, traveled to New York to attend the third annual World Mental Health Day Gala, where they were honored as “humanitarians of the year.” (Instagram/Meghan Markle)
After leaving New York, Meghan shared a video montage of their time in the city. (Instagram/Meghan Markle)
She even revealed a clip of herself perfecting her own makeup look at a brightly lit vanity. (Instagram/Meghan Markle)
In the 57 years since then, Gloria has acquired several other apartments in the building, first adding the ground-floor unit to her collection in the 1980s, then a third-floor space, which she bought for $1.1 million in 2017.
The salvaged porch loft has remained, however, serving now as a fun relaxation area inside the main living room of the home, with a small dining nook underneath, which has been covered with a stunning mural of a wild landscape and blue skies.
Today, the home is filled with memories from throughout Gloria’s life, including iconic photos of her taken at protests and marches, embroidered feminist slogans that hang from the wall, artifacts from her travels around the world, and numerous pieces of unique art.
However, it “took a while” for the activist and author to realize that she could actually relax into a property—even as she was traveling all over the world.
When asked by AD what she feels about “the idea of home,” Gloria noted that it may mean something different to her than to those who are anchored to a property by a spouse and children.
“Since I never married and had children, it may mean something different to me, I don’t know,” she said. “It’s gained meaning over time. I made a home for myself. But it took a while to learn that I didn’t have to live out of boxes and suitcases.”
Her colorful and whimsical New York home is a world away from the toned-down neutral aesthetic that Meghan has chosen for her own abode in California, where she and Harry have lived since 2020, when they quit their roles as senior working royals.
The couple purchased an enormous Mediterranean-style dwelling in the celebrity-loved enclave of Montecito, where they count the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry as their neighbors—and where they are now raising their two children, Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4.
During their trip to New York City, the couple opened up about some of their fears about their kids’ future, calling attention in particular to the dangers of social media and what those might mean for young people several years from now.
Steinem’s home is located on the Upper East Side—and she has lived there since the 1960s. (YouTube/Architectural Digest)
While she first moved into just one floor of her brownstone, she has since taken on ownership of several more units. (YouTube/Architectural Digest)
While the home has grown and evolved since she first moved in, the loft space that she and her former roommate built from a piece of salvaged porch can still be found in the living room. (YouTube/Architectural Digest)
“Our children, Archie and Lili, are just 6 and 4 years old. Luckily, still too young for social media, but we know that day is coming,” Meghan said at the World Mental Health Day Gala.
“Like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology’s benefits while safeguarding against its dangers. That hopeful intention of separation is rapidly becoming impossible.”
Harry, meanwhile, shed some light on the thousands of families who have been devastated by the fallout from social media use among children, who have been driven to suicide or suffered severe mental health issues as a result of online bullying and toxicity.
“Tonight, we are all here together to focus on what remains one of the most pressing issues of our time,” he said. “Let me share a number with you: 4,000. That’s how many families the Social Media Victims Law Centre is currently representing—families whose children have been harmed or lost forever to social media.”
He continued: 4,000 cases “at just one firm. And that number represents only those parents who have been able to link their child’s circumstance to social media use.”
Harry added that, while some parents have realized that they have legal power to “fight back against some of the wealthiest, most powerful corporations in the world,” doing so cannot help to provide “closure” for those who continue to grieve over the loss of their children.
“This is a pivotal moment in our collective mission to protect children and support families in the digital age,” he noted.
The couple have also taken steps to protect their own children online, although Meghan has been more open about sharing glimpses into their lives on her personal Instagram account, which she relaunched on New Year’s Day after going several years without a public social media presence.
Since then, the Duchess of Sussex has shared multiple photos and videos of both of her children, including snapshots of Archie and Lilibet in and around the family’s $14.65 million Montecito mansion and clips from a trip to Disneyland, although she ensures that their faces are always concealed from view.
Meghan and Harry opened up about their parenting fears at the gala event in Manhattan. (John Nacion/WireImage)
They voiced their concern about the increasing dangers of social media among young people. (Instagram/Meghan)
The couple have created a “safe haven” for their children at their $14.65 million Montecito, CA, home. (Google Maps)
Meghan has previously described their home as being a “safe haven,” revealing to People magazine in March that she chose not to film her new Netflix lifestyle series, “With Love, Meghan,” at the property so as not to burst that protective bubble.
“I wanted to protect that safe haven,” she said. “We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments—putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day.
“Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!”
Harry and Meghan moved into their sprawling Montecito abode in 2020, soon after they quit their roles as senior working royals, having stumbled across the Mediterranean-style dwelling online.
“We were looking in this area and this house kept popping up online in searches,” she told The Cut of their househunting process during a 2022 interview.
Interestingly, Meghan admitted that she and Harry were initially concerned that they wouldn’t be able to afford the home, noting that—at the time—they were both unemployed.
“We didn’t have jobs, so we were just not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible,” she said. “It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping—it’s like, ‘I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford—that doesn’t feel good.'”
However, her fascination with the nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom estate won out and they went to view the home in person—with Meghan revealing that they fell in love with it before even setting foot inside.
“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” she recalled. “We did everything we could to get this house.”