Meghan Markle visits Düsseldorf Cafe to support homeless women and girls during Invictus Games trip

Duchess of Sussex was in Düsseldorf for the Invictus Games

Meghan Markle made a visit to a community cafe to support homeless women and girls while abroad in Düsseldorf, Germany, for Prince Harry’s annual Invictus Games.

Photos of the Duchess of Sussex appeared on the since-deleted Instagram Story for TrebeCafé on Tuesday (19 September), according to People. TrebeCafé is a social services organisation that provides aid to homeless women and girls. In an Instagram photo shared by nonprofit Diakonie Düsseldorf Karriere on Tuesday, Meghan, 42, was seen wearing a cosy grey cable-knit sweater and coordinating slacks as she smiled with a group of women and children at the centre.

“What a special moment! Duchess Meghan also visited our TrebeCafé during her stay in Düsseldorf on the occasion of the Invictus Games,” the nonprofit captioned the post, which was translated from German to English.

The post explained that Meghan showing up was a “surprise”. “Although we announced a special guest, the young women were not expecting the duchess,” the caption continued.

It explained that, although the women were initially shy about being in the presence of someone like the duchess, they quickly became comfortable. “The visitors to the TrebeCafé openly told the duchess about their earlier life on the street, how they got to know the TrebeCafé and how they got back on track with the support of the staff,” the Instagram post read.

After talking for a while, Meghan also stepped in to help make lunches for the women. “Meghan took over the chopping of vegetables without further ado,” the organisation shared. “In a relaxed atmosphere, the young women now had the opportunity to ask the duchess everything they had always wanted to know about her.”

The couple was in Düsseldorf for the 2023 Invictus Games, which Prince Harry founded in 2014 for wounded, sick or injured service personnel and veterans.

Harry had arrived in Germany to start the event while Meghan joined him later at the Friends & Family party on 12 September. Meghan missed out on the opening ceremony, later revealing in a speech that she had chosen to remain in California in order to spend time with the couple’s young children, four-year-old Archie and two-year-old Lilibet.

Apologising for being “a little late for the party”, she revealed that she had wanted to “just spend a little bit more time getting our little ones settled [at] home, getting milkshakes, doing school drop off”.

Throughout her time at the games, fans have praised Meghan’s outfits on X, formerly known as Twitter, as they have included casual clothes from other affordable brands like Zara.

“I’ll say it again— Nobody does effortless chic like #MeghanMarkle. This has always been one of my favourite looks on her,” one person wrote, while sharing two of her outfits during the games, along with two of her outfits while still working in Hollywood. “She is flawless.”

“All her looks are effortless! You can tell she tried so hard to dress down, not to draw attention to herself! But Meghan is Meghan; even if she leaves the house in a bin bag she still shines!” another wrote.

“Think I just heard a conveyor belt break or it may have been the screams from a Zara executive trying to bring this romper back,” a third tweeted about the cream-coloured outfit.

The couple also celebrated Harry’s birthday during their time in Düsseldorf, marking the occasion with a trip to a traditional German restaurant, Brauerei Schumacher.

According to a post on the restaurant’s Instagram page, the couple dined on some classic German dishes, including wiener schnitzel and blood sausage, and drank beer brewed in-house.

“So proud! Impressed by very friendly people,” the restaurant’s team captioned a photo showing the duke and duchess posing with staff.