Nottingham Food Bank Volunteer’s Matter-Of-Fact Exchange With Meghan Markle Draws Attention During Sussexes’ Visit

A volunteer at a Nottingham food bank has attracted attention online after a video showed her giving Meghan Markle straightforward instructions on how to pack a bag of donated groceries, prompting debate among royal watchers about the Duchess of Sussex’s questions during the demonstration.

The exchange took place at Himmah, a food poverty action group visited by Prince Harry and Meghan during their recent engagements in Nottingham. In footage shared on X, the volunteer appeared focused on the task at hand as she explained the process to Meghan, 45.

The woman began by describing the job as “not very difficult” before holding out a bag for the duchess to fill. They were standing beside a crate of baked beans when Meghan, seemingly unsure where to begin, asked whether she should move to “another station”.

The volunteer shook her head and firmly instructed Meghan to take the bag and follow her.

The brief interaction quickly became a talking point on social media. Some viewers questioned why Meghan appeared to need clarification about what they considered a straightforward task, with one royal watcher writing on X: “It’s wild how she doesn’t understand how an operation of that kind works.”

Others focused on the contrast between the duchess’s questions and the volunteer’s direct, practical approach. The online reaction centred on whether Meghan’s interest in the demonstration was genuine or, as some critics suggested, “performative”.

The footage itself shows the exchange but does not establish Meghan’s intentions, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Harry And Meghan Reunite With The ‘Grenfell Ladies’

The visit to Himmah also brought an emotional reunion between the Sussexes and four women known for cooking for grieving families following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

The disaster claimed 72 lives, and the women helped provide food for families affected by the tragedy. Harry and Meghan greeted them warmly, sharing kisses, hugs and hand-holding during their meeting.

The reunion formed part of the couple’s wider programme of engagements in the East Midlands, marking their first joint appearance in the UK since returning from the United States. Their Nottingham visit also came nine years after their first royal engagement in the city as an engaged couple.

During the visit, the couple met members of the public, with supporters handing them flowers and balloons as they moved through the crowd.

Beth Herlihy’s Behind-The-Scenes Role In The Sussexes’ Nottingham Visit

While the food bank exchange became a talking point online, another familiar face was quietly helping Harry and Meghan navigate their engagements: Beth Herlihy, a former Kensington Palace aide who now works closely with the couple.

Herlihy, the co-founder of public relations boutique Herlihy Loughran, was seen walking a few paces behind the Sussexes as they greeted supporters in Nottingham. She helped carry flowers and balloons handed to the couple by members of the public.

The programme coordinator had travelled to the city with Harry and Meghan on Thursday after helping organise their schedule. Footage also showed her directing schoolchildren into position shortly before the couple arrived to cheers from the crowd.

Herlihy has a background that differs considerably from her subsequent career in royal and philanthropic circles. Before entering public relations, she worked as an actress under the name Bethan Coundley.

In 2011, she appeared as Honey in two episodes of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks Later, a spin-off of the soap opera Hollyoaks. Her character slept with a man and drugged 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 a human corpse.

Herlihy also participated in several provocative photoshoots, including one in 2012 in which she wore a PVC catsuit.

She later established herself in public relations and went on to work at Kensington Palace, eventually becoming one of Harry and Meghan’s trusted aides.

From Kensington Palace To A Six-Figure Advisory Business

Herlihy was appointed an events manager at the Royal Foundation in 2016. At the time, the organisation served as the joint charitable vehicle for the then-Cambridges and the Sussexes.

Following Harry and Meghan’s departure from the foundation in 2019, Herlihy continued working with them. She was subsequently laid off by Kensington Palace after the couple stepped down as senior working royals and moved to the United States.

In 2020, she established Herlihy Loughran alongside Clara Loughran, another former royal aide who had worked as Harry’s programme manager. Clara is married to Nick Loughran, Harry’s former assistant communications secretary.

The firm provides advisory services to prominent individuals, founders and organisations seeking to develop and deliver philanthropic initiatives. It describes itself as a small, high-trust advisory business focused on helping clients turn their ambitions into meaningful work.

Its services include strategic advice, positioning and delivery, with an emphasis on helping clients achieve their charitable objectives.

Herlihy’s previous royal experience has also earned her an official honour. On Harry’s recommendation, she was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The honour recognises individuals who have served the monarch personally with dedication.

Herlihy has remained involved in the Sussexes’ activities since relocating her professional focus to the United States. In September 2023, she was photographed speaking with Harry in the stands during a wheelchair basketball match between the UK and Ukraine at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany.