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I’m not sure how I feel about the Duchess of Sussex doing so many unannounced trips the past few weeks. On one side, Meghan seems to be taking a step back and letting the Cambridges have their moment (which I suspect was the partly the short-term goal of the smear campaign). On the other side, I think all of us who like Meghan a lot want to see more of her. So she managed to find a way to do an unannounced event AND get lots of attention: the Duchess of Sussex attended last night’s British Fashion Awards. Rosamund Pike came out on stage and introduced Meghan, and Meghan got to announce a special award:

Tonight’s big surprise: Rosamund Pike introduces Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, to announce the winner of British Designer Womenswear — and fittingly, the award goes to Clare Waight Keller of @Givenchy … #FashionAwards pic.twitter.com/TrEzyGAOgV

— Laurie Brookins (@StyleWriterNYC) December 10, 2018

That’s really nice. Obviously, Meghan wore Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy to the event. It appears to be a simple black velvet gown with one shoulder, and the fit is exquisite. Meghan proudly embraced her bump while Keller accepted her award.

Meanwhile, Meghan’s “friend” spoke to Katie Nicholl about the Thomas Markle situation, and how Meghan still has that motherf–ker canceled:

A friend close to Meghan says that, once again, Thomas Markle’s efforts to make a connection through the press have likely backfired. “I understand there has been one conversation between Meghan and her dad since the wedding, when Meghan made it clear that they could only have a relationship if he kept his silence,” the friend told Vanity Fair. “She told him that he couldn’t speak to the press, plain and simple. But he keeps doing that, and so she feels that she cannot trust him.”

The friend continued, “She has also said if they are to have a relationship, then he has to cut off contact with the rest of his family, including Samantha, who Meghan blames for a lot of the problems with her father. The thing is, whatever Samantha has done, she is still Thomas’s daughter, so that’s a hard call. And as for speaking to the press, he says he doesn’t know how else to get Meghan’s attention.”

[From Vanity Fair]

Sounds about right – Meghan isn’t going to suddenly start speaking to Thomas because he’s giving another damn interview to the Daily Mail, or The Sun, or to Good Morning Britain or whatever else. She told him what he needed to do, and he refuses. So she refuses to engage with his toxic bulls–t.

Meghan Markle wearing gorgeous gold bangles and stud earrings from @pippasmall @TurquoiseMtn collection, a charity founded at the request of Prince Charles to regenerate the traditional arts and craft industries in war-torn Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/nKfpCbscge

— Monique Jessen (@moniquejessen) December 10, 2018

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Photos courtesy of Getty.