Today commemorates eight years since Britain’s worst residential fire since World War II.
The devastating Grenfell Tower fire broke out in the 24-storey block of flats in North Kensington and claimed the lives of 72 people.
The response to the national tragedy was phenomenal, with the London Community Foundation raising more than £10million and the British Red Cross raising £7.3million.
The Royal Family were quick to show their support, with the late Queen visiting the scene of the fire two days after it broke out, speaking with survivors, relatives of those who died, and volunteers and emergency services workers.
Meghan Markle regularly cooked with residents at the Hubb Community Kitchen, a local initiative started to support those affected by the fire.
She also collaborated with women affected by the fire on a charity cookbook, Together: Our Community Cookbook, in September 2018, featuring 50 recipes from the women involved and a foreword from the Duchess herself.
In 2024, Marie Claire reported that the cookbook had raised £911,000 and sold more than 130,000 copies in its first six months.
Meghan’s close work with the women she met at the Hubb Community Kitchen marked her first solo project as a member of the Royal Family, as she established her new home in London.
Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, joined the Duke and Duchess for the official launch of the Hubb Community Kitchen’s cookbook at an outdoor lunch at Kensington Palace on September 20, 2018
Meghan stands next to her mother as she speaks at the launch event for the Together cookbook
The Duchess collaborated with women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire on a charity cookbook featuring 50 recipes
The cookbook, which is still available on Amazon, aimed to raise £250,000 to keep the Hubb Community Kitchen going.
But the book’s resounding success meant more could be done and, in 2019, the kitchen was completely refurbished and opened seven days a week.
On September 20, 2018, Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, joined the Duke and Duchess for the official launch of the cookbook at an outdoor lunch at Kensington Palace.
Meghan said she was ‘so proud’ to live in the British capital as she delivered a three-minute speech without any notes. She described how the charity cookbook was a ‘labour of love’ and a ‘passion project’ that she had been working on with the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen for the past nine months.
Meghan’s mother being at the event was significant, with the Mail’s Richard Kay writing at the time: ‘So often royal events are stagey, awkward and, let’s admit it, unimaginative affairs.
‘Doria’s presence at Meghan’s side at her charity cookbook launch – and her remarks – seemed both instinctive and authentic.’
But there was one moment which didn’t sit right with some royal observers.
Meghan helps out in the kitchen set up by women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire
Meghan’s close work with the women she met at the Hubb Community Kitchen marked her first solo project as a member of the Royal Family, as she established her new home in London
During the speech, the Duchess thanked the women for letting her work with them on the project – describing how it ‘took a village’ to realise her vision.
But as Meghan was speaking with a group of women and took a pause, her mother began to speak and was met by a stern look from her daughter.
Body language expert Jesús Enrique Rosas described the awkward moment.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Jesús, also known as The Body Language Guy, suggested Meghan was ‘a little nervous because this was her moment to shine’ with her first solo project.
But he noticed how everyone looked like they were ‘having a good time’, with ‘lots of genuine smiles’ suggesting ‘they really liked being around Meghan’.
He said: ‘At first Meghan’s body language is quite relaxed and there is no tension in her eyebrows or her mouth.
‘She’s just talking and using certain hand gestures to emphasise her words.’
But the body language expert claims that as Meghan is about to end a sentence she clasps her hands, signalling the end of a thought.
Body language expert Jesús Enrique Rosas described the awkward moment when Doria interrupted Meghan
Jesús Enrique Rosas says: ‘What gives Meghan’s emotions away is the shape of her mouth. Her lips are pressed against each other and are almost completely horizontal. That’s a signal of frustration’
He adds: ‘Doria wanted to say something and she waited for Meghan’s body language signal that she had ended her current idea.
‘But when Doria begins to speak we can spot a cluster of very concerning body language signals in Meghan.
‘Her fingers are so stiff they’re almost bending backwards, which is a very clear signal of tension.’
He notes that there are multiple signs written on her face. She opens her eyes wider and pushes her jaw forward, displaying a subtle anger.
He says: ‘What gives Meghan’s emotions away is the shape of her mouth. Her lips are pressed against each other and are almost completely horizontal.
‘That’s a signal of frustration and, if you had to conceal anger and inner tension, you already have a very aggressive reaction in terms of body language.’
But despite this awkward moment, many people believe that helping to create the cookbook was one of Meghan’s best actions as a working royal.
Even Meghan’s friend, former tennis champion Serena Williams, jumped in to show her support.
Many people believe helping to create the cookbook was one of Meghan’s best actions as a working royal. Meghan is pictured hugging women at the launch
Meghan is pictured helping to prepare food at the cookbook launch at Kensington Palace
In the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the Duchess reflected on the Together cookbook
‘I used to call you Meghan (and I still do) but dear Duchess of Sussex your first project Together [is] a cookbook bringing women of all cultures together.
‘I could not be more excited about it and proud of you,’ Serena wrote to Meghan on social media.
‘It’s beautiful – diversity, inclusivity, coming together in grief or joy – there is just so much love.’
In the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the Duchess reflected on the Together cookbook.
‘The Grenfell fire left so many families displaced, outside of how many deaths it caused.
‘And I remember saying “Well, can we do something? We need to go down there and do something.”
‘And so, I connected with the women at Al-Manaar, which is a mosque in Grenfell.
‘They were living in these hotels and just given meal vouchers for fast food,’ Meghan says in the series.
‘Over the course of like eight or nine months, I just kept going back and visiting them and I loved these women so much.
‘When I watched these women laughing together and grieving together, I said, “Why can’t you do this every day of the week?” and they said, “Well, we don’t have the funds for it.”
‘I just looked around. I said, “We should make a cookbook.”‘
Meghan welcomes women involved with the cookbook Together during a reception at Kensington Palace
The Grenfell Tower fire in West London in June 2017 left 72 people dead
‘Actually the first speech I made as a member of the Royal Family was launching this cookbook,’ Meghan said.
Eight years since the tragedy, the police have announced they are planning to build a full-scale replica of part of Grenfell Tower to secure criminal convictions, it has been reported.
The Metropolitan Police has told grieving families that the model, which would take more than a year to build, will help explain how the fire spread in any future trials.
However, families fear they may never ‘see justice’, as criminal trials are not likely to start until 2027, and the bereaved say that this has left them questioning whether the inquiry is too complex for the force.
A spokesman for Grenfell Next of Kin, which represents the close families of about half of the deceased, told the Telegraph: ‘The trust is broken in the Met Police and the systems. Now they want to build a tower and on and on it goes.’
The fire triggered mass protests about building standards, following months of concerns from Grenfell Tower residents about safety following its refurbishment.
The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published last September, concluded that the disaster was the result of ‘decades of failure’ by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
