Meghan Markle’s Nottingham Food Bank Visit Draws Attention After Volunteer’s Blunt Response to Her Questions

A volunteer at a Nottingham food bank has attracted attention online after a video showed her giving Meghan Markle direct instructions while demonstrating how to pack a food donation bag. The clip sparked debate among royal watchers, with some questioning the Duchess of Sussex’s repeated questions during what appeared to be a straightforward task.

The exchange took place during Prince Harry and Meghan’s visit to Himmah, a food poverty action group in Nottingham, as part of their recent series of public engagements in the East Midlands.

In footage shared on X, the volunteer, a blonde-haired woman, began by reassuring Meghan, 45, that the task was “not very difficult”. Standing beside a crate filled with baked beans, she held up a bag for the duchess to fill.

Meghan then appeared uncertain about what to do next and asked whether she should move to “another station”. The volunteer shook her head, instructed Meghan to take the bag and gestured for her to follow.

Some social media users criticised what they described as Meghan’s “performative” questioning, arguing that the process should have been easy to understand. One person wrote on X: “It’s wild how she doesn’t understand how an operation of that kind works.”

The clip prompted discussion about the brief interaction, although the footage alone does not establish what either woman was thinking or how the exchange was perceived by those present.

Emotional reunion with the Grenfell survivors’ supporters

The food bank visit also included an emotional reunion between Harry and Meghan and four women affectionately known as the “Grenfell ladies”.

The women had cooked for grieving families in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, a tragedy that claimed 72 lives. During the Nottingham visit, the couple greeted them with kisses and hugs, held their hands and shared an emotional moment with those who had helped support families devastated by the disaster.

The appearance formed part of the Sussexes’ latest return to the UK, during which they undertook several engagements resembling traditional royal visits.

Former Kensington Palace aide Beth Herlihy follows the Sussexes in Nottingham

Another figure accompanying the couple was Beth Herlihy, a former Kensington Palace aide who now works closely with Harry and Meghan.

As the couple greeted members of the public, Herlihy discreetly followed behind them, helping carry flowers and balloons presented by supporters. She had helped organise their Nottingham programme and walked a few paces behind them as they met a crowd of around 100 people.

Footage also showed her guiding schoolchildren into position shortly before the couple arrived to cheers.

Herlihy is the co-founder of the public relations and advisory firm Herlihy Loughran, which works with prominent individuals and organisations on philanthropic projects. She previously worked for the Royal Family and has since become one of the Sussexes’ trusted aides.

Before entering royal circles, however, she had a very different career in television.

Herlihy’s unexpected past as a soap actress

Working under the stage name Bethan Coundley, Herlihy played Honey in two episodes of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks Later in 2011.

Her character became involved with a man before drugging him, leading him to hallucinate that he had killed her with an axe. The deception was eventually exposed when a supposed burial site was found to contain a pig’s body rather than human remains.

Herlihy also appeared in a number of provocative photoshoots, including one in 2012 in which she wore a PVC catsuit.

Away from acting, she built a career in public relations before joining the royal household. Her professional path eventually brought her into the orbit of Harry and Meghan, with whom she continued working after their departure from the UK.

Herlihy Loughran’s work for the Sussexes

Herlihy established her advisory business in 2020 with Clara Loughran, another former royal aide who previously served as Harry’s programme manager. Clara is married to Nick Loughran, Harry’s former assistant communications secretary.

The firm describes itself as “a small, high-trust advisory working with high-profile individuals, founders and organisations to build and deliver meaningful philanthropic work”. Its services include strategic advice, positioning and support in delivering charitable initiatives.

Herlihy was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by Queen Elizabeth II on Harry’s recommendation. The honour recognises people who have provided dedicated personal service to the monarch.

The firm has also received substantial payments from the Sussexes’ charitable organisation. According to a tax return filed by Archewell Philanthropies, Harry and Meghan paid Herlihy Loughran £116,000 ($155,000) for strategic advisory services in 2023. The firm received £95,600 ($127,807) in 2022.

The sums reflect the advisory work provided by the firm, whose founders also bring experience from within the royal household. Daily Mail Royal Editor Rebecca English has noted that both women were trained in royal protocol.

English also argued that the couple’s Nottingham walkabout closely resembled a traditional royal engagement, despite their team having previously indicated that a public walkabout would not take place because of security concerns. The timings of the visit had already been made public.

From the Royal Foundation to the Sussexes’ inner circle

Herlihy’s royal career began in 2016, when she was appointed events manager at the Royal Foundation, the charitable organisation then shared by the now-Prince and Princess of Wales and Harry and Meghan.

When the Sussexes separated from the foundation in 2019, Herlihy continued working with them. However, she was later laid off by Kensington Palace after the couple stepped down as senior working royals and relocated to the United States.

Following the launch of Herlihy Loughran in 2020, she continued to support the couple’s work across the Atlantic.

Her ongoing relationship with Harry was evident in September 2023, when she was seen speaking with him in the stands during a wheelchair basketball match between the UK and Ukraine at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf.

During the Sussexes’ Nottingham engagements, she again remained close by as they greeted supporters and visited local initiatives.

The trip marked another public appearance by Harry and Meghan in the city, nine years after their first royal visit there as an engaged couple.