The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been spotted sipping cocktails with friends in a swanky New York bar the night before their first public event since quitting as senior royals.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry - as well as around 20 members of their security - descended on New York on Thursday to stay at the Bemelmans Bar in the £1,300-a-night Carlyle Hotel in New York City.
The couple have left their children Archie, two, and three-month-old Lilibet at home in California while they attend the three-day tour of the city.
Witnesses said their body guards sat at tables around them trying to blend in while Meghan and Harry chatted with a blonde woman and brunette man.
The pair stayed in the bar for around three hours before leaving via the back door, MailOnline reports.
Meghan, 40, and Harry 37, are due to be in Big Apple this weekend to appear at the 24-hour star-studded global TV event Global Citizen Live in Central Park on Saturday.
Making the most out of their journey, t hey today visited the city's highest building - the One World Trade Center, built on the site of the former World Trade Center, and its One World Observatory.
They arrived hand-in-hand with Meghan dressed in an all black outfit including what is thought to be an Emporio Armani coat, with matching black Aquazzura heels and her hair tied back off her face in a bun. Harry also wore a black suit
They met with New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife Chirlane McCray and their son, Dante. They also met with New York governor Kathy Hochul.
It's not yet known what they discussed during their morning meeting. It's thought their sombre-looking outfits were chosen as they visited the 9/11 memorial afterwards.
As they posed for pictures on the observation deck, Meghan was asked if she was enjoying her visit to New York and she replied: "It's wonderful to be back, thank you."
Once the meeting was over, Harry and Meghan clutched each other's hands as they walked to the 9/11 Memorial nearby.
There they could be seen reflecting next to one of the memorial pools and looking at the names of some of those killed in the 9/11 terror attacks 20 years ago that are inscribed in the pools.
After paying their respects, it is reported that the couple then went to the 9/11 Museum, where they spent some time inside before leaving.
The engagement is the first time Meghan has been seen in public since giving birth to daughter Lilibet in June while the trip also marks the couple's first-ever joint visit to New York City.
The couple will stay on in NYC until at least Saturday when they will appear at the Global Citizen Live event in Central Park.
Love the royals? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news on the Queen, Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to sign up .
At the event, they will "continue their urgent work with world leaders in the pursuit of global vaccine equity to end the Covid-19 pandemic for everyone, everywhere".
The event organisers call them "two of the strongest voices on vaccine equity".
Both Harry and Meghan have spoken out about vaccine equity in the past and in May, Harry made an appearance at Vax Live - a concert in California to promote the sharing of vaccines.
The couple has also previously written an open letter to the chief executives of pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca urging them to redouble their support for the UN-sponsored Covax vaccine equity programme.
Meghan was last in New York in early September 2019, when she travelled to the city to support her friend Serena Williams in the US Open at Flushing Meadow.
Harry's last trip there was in 2013 when he toured areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
