Meghan Markle Joins Oprah Winfrey for Surprise Appearance at Bookstore Near Their California Homes

The Duchess of Sussex made an appearance to celebrate Santa Barbara's community of authors at a bookstore opening on Sept. 7

Meghan Markle stepped out to support fellow authors at a bookstore opening in Santa Barbara.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, spoke at the grand opening of Godmothers bookstore in Summerland, Calif., near Montecito — where she and husband Prince Harry have lived since 2020.

Meghan sported a chic, business-inspired look for the event. She wore a sleeveless navy blue tuxedo jumpsuit from Club Monaco, and kept her hair back in a ponytail. She completed the ensemble with a simple pair of diamond earrings.

In a photo shared by author Laura Lynne Jackson on her Instagram Stories, the Duchess of Sussex is seen standing onstage at the bookstore speaking into a microphone. Jackson captioned the photo: "Most light-filled evening of speakers..."

Also in attendance at the star-studded bookstore launch were Meghan's friend and neighbor Oprah Winfrey, author Shaka Senghor, astrologer Jennifer Freed and the new bookstore's co-founders, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and Victoria Jackson.

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Although Meghan's husband Prince Harry, 39, was not in attendance at the bookstore event, a display featuring books written by "hometown authors" included his 2023 memoir Spare. The display also included some titles by other famous local authors, including Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Easy, as well as Meghan's children's book The Bench.

"We celebrate our hometown authors as if they were our hometown heroes, because to us they are," Rudolph Walsh said in a video promoting the new store.

Meghan's book — which she wrote to "depict another side of masculinity — one grounded in connection, emotion and softness," according to a blog post she wrote at the time — became a New York Times bestseller in June 2021.

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Meghan and Harry explained their big move to California in a now-famous March 2021 TV interview with Winfrey, 70, and following the pair's step back as senior members of the royal family. In 2020, a rep for the couple told PEOPLE that Meghan and Harry had "settled into" their new life in Montecito, a town just outside of Santa Barbara.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year," the rep said at the time. "They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as for them as a family."

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Meghan is also in the midst of preparing to launch her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. A source previously told PEOPLE that the launch was keeping the Duchess of Sussex busy ahead of the launch, slated for later this year.

A trademark application for American Riviera Orchard notes that the lifestyle brand intends to sell a wide range of products, including everything from tableware, drinkware and kitchen linens to edible treats such as jellies, jams, marmalade and spreads, cookbooks and more.

An insider previously told PEOPLE that this latest venture "will reflect everything that she loves — family, cooking, entertaining and home décor."

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