EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle Hit by Yet Another Blow as Charity That Defined Her Life as a Royal Quietly Shuts Up Shop
Meghan Markle has taken yet another loss.
Feb. 18 2026, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle has been dealt another setback after the Hubb Community Kitchen – the tragedy-inspired charity that came to define her early years as a working royal – quietly ceased operations, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The kitchen was established in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in London on June 14, 2017, which claimed 72 lives in the west of the city.
The End of Meghan Markle's First Solo Royal Project
The Duchess of Sussex made the community project her first solo royal endeavor.
Created by survivors at Al Manaar mosque, the volunteer-led initiative provided hot meals and a place of refuge for bereaved families.
Markle, now 44, was then newly married to Prince Harry, 41, and made the project her first solo endeavor as a working member of the royal family, positioning herself as a hands-on advocate for grassroots community work.
In 2018, supported by The Royal Foundation and published by Penguin Random House, the group released Together Our Community Cookbook, featuring a foreword by the duchess and photographs of her cooking alongside volunteers.
The book shot to number one on Amazon within hours, selling 39,000 copies in the U.K. and raising $285,000 to fund a redesign of the kitchen.
'The Hubb Community Kitchen Has Stopped'
Markle had hosted a formal launch lunch for the charity at Kensington Palace.
Markle hosted a launch lunch at Kensington Palace, attended by her mother, Doria Ragland, who traveled from the U.S. for the event.
At the time, Markle said: "I immediately felt connected to this community kitchen – it is a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry, and cook together."
The project was widely praised as evidence of a modernizing monarchy and a duchess eager to embed herself in local causes.
However, following Markle and Harry's decision to step back from royal duties in 2020 and relocate to California, her direct involvement with the kitchen diminished.
On the third anniversary of the Grenfell fire, she honored the women involved in the good cause via a video call from Los Angeles, describing their efforts as "love in action." The last recorded outreach to the charity from the duchess came in June 2022, marking five years since the Grenfell horror.
Now, a spokesman for the Hubb Kitchen has confirmed the closure of the cause.
He said, "I can't talk about the Duchess of Sussex, but the Hubb community kitchen has stopped."
A spokesman for the Hubb Community Kitchen confirmed the closure of the cause.
A source familiar with the project said the shutdown will be a personal blow for Markle.
The insider said, "This was the initiative that defined her introduction to royal life. It embodied the image she wanted to project – compassionate, engaged, and present. Seeing it quietly close its doors inevitably feels like the end of an important chapter."
Another source close to royal circles said the optics are difficult.
They added: "The Hubb Kitchen became shorthand for Meghan's grassroots approach. Its success was tied closely to her brand as a working royal. Even though the closure may be due to practical or funding realities, it will be seen by critics as another example of something associated with her losing momentum."
Meghan Markle Takes Another Hit
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Markle and Prince Harry moved to California six years ago to pursue new commercial ventures.
Markle has faced mounting scrutiny over her commercial ventures since relocating to California with Harry six years ago.
After stepping back from royal duties, the couple signed high-profile content deals, most notably with Netflix and Spotify, billed as multi-million-dollar partnerships designed to position them as global storytellers.
While their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan drew significant initial viewership, subsequent projects failed to generate comparable impact, and Spotify ended its deal with the pair in 2023.
Industry observers have suggested sustaining momentum in the U.S. entertainment market has proved more complex than anticipated for the couple.
A Hollywood source said: "There was enormous curiosity at first, but turning that into a consistent creative pipeline is a different challenge."
Markle's lifestyle brand, As Ever, has also faced delays and questions about strategy and identity.
A branding expert said, "Launching a personal brand in such a saturated market requires clarity and consistency. Meghan is still working to define what As Ever stands for exactly."
