Revealed: How Meghan the ‘down-to-earth’ blogger sipped wine and spoke about her divorce with local photographer who joined her on 2015 Malta trip to explore her ancestry
- EXCLUSIVE: Meghan’s great-great-grandmother was born in Malta in 1862
- Meghan visited the country in March 2015, a year before she met Prince Harry
- She was there to learn about her ancestry and do a shoot for ELLE magazine
- In the snaps, Meghan is pictured happy and relaxed as she samples local food
- Describing her visit in 2015, Meghan confessed she ‘blended in’ with the locals
- ‘There is something so lovely about fitting in a piece of the puzzle,’ she said
The photographer behind a set of recently-surfaced images of Meghan Markle in Malta has revealed what it was like working with the future Duchess of Sussex.
Kurt Arrigo spent two days with Meghan in the Mediterranean country in March 2015, after she was invited by the local tourist board to explore her the birthplace of her great-great-grandmother.
However the future royal – who would not meet Prince Harry for another year – was also ‘in her element’ shooting an ELLE spread and working on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, Kurt reveals.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he told how ‘down-to-earth’ Meghan was ‘very pleasant to work with’ and recalls the remarkably candid actress happily chatting about her recent divorce as she sampled the local food and wine.
The future Duchess of Sussex exploring the streets of Mdina, Malta in 2015 as captured by Kurt Arrigo. Before marrying into the royal family, Meghan, then an up-and-coming actress, spent a few days on Malta soaking up the local culture and learning about her ancestry
Meghan exploring the picturesque streets of Mdina, Malta in 2015. The photographer behind the recently-surfaced images of Meghan Markle in Malta has revealed what it was like working with the future Duchess of Sussex, who was also working on her now defunct blog, The Tig
‘She had mentioned that she was previously married as well but she didn’t really open up about it,’ said Kurt, who met Meghan two years after her split from director Trevor Engelson.
One of the more striking images shows Meghan wearing a traditional għonnella headdress on a visit to the magnificent sixteenth-century Casa Rocca Piccola palace in Malta’s capital Valletta.
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‘She was very game to try it on and to be a bit playful,’ Kurt recalls.
Meghan later touched on going back to her roots and blending in with the locals, saying: ‘There is something so lovely about fitting in a piece of the puzzle.’
Other snaps show the future duchess, casually dressed in ripped jeans and a baggy grey t-shirt, exploring the streets of Mdina and marvelling at Saint John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.
‘It was very candid,’ Kurt reveals. ‘She didn’t really want any poses, but then after a while she felt comfortable. It wan’t a fashion shoot, it was very much a lifestyle [shoot].
Wearing a traditional headdress, the future Duchess of Sussex is pictured on a visit to Malta in 2015 – a year before she met her future husband Prince Harry – wearing a għonnella. ‘She was very game to try it on and to be a bit playful,’ photographer Kurt Arrigo recalls
Future royal: Casually dressed in a grey t-shirt and baggy jeans, the future Duchess of Sussex looks decidedly happy and carefree in the images, which were taken in 2015. She said of her stay in Malta: ‘To come somewhere where you so quickly settle in to feeling welcomed is really special. It’s this Maltese hospitality that is really special to the place’
‘It was a very casual shoot and I just kind of tagged along and made her feel comfortable and not do it in an invasive way and do it discreetly.’
Kurt also revealed that his two daughters had been desperate to meet the Suits actress, but Meghan had to cancel as well was feeling unwell.
However, she later wrote a sweet message to Kurt and his children on her blog by way of apology.
Less than two years after her Maltese trip, Meghan became a household name overnight when her relationship with Prince Harry hit headlines – and Kurt said he was pleased to see she got her ‘fairytale ending’.
‘She’s probably one of the most influential [women] around now,’ he says. ‘I guess she’s got to be part of that royal system, and maybe can’t let her hair down as much as would have liked to.
‘In those times, it was all relaxed and chilled and easy. Now wherever she is I suppose everyone’s got a camera and wants to take a picture.
‘It was nice to be able to meet her and get to know her in her real element.’
In her own words: Meghan in Malta
Speaking in 2015, Meghan said of her trip to the Mediterranean country: ‘Coming to Malta has been really important to me because my great-great-grandmother lived here, so we’ve been trying to trace the ancestry.
‘This trip was mostly about trying to understand where I come from, my identity. There is something so lovely about fitting in a piece of the puzzle.
‘To come somewhere where you so quickly settle in to feeling welcomed is really special. It’s this Maltese hospitality that is really special to the place.
‘Before I came, people were telling me, “When you go to Malta, everyone will look like you,” and I started to say, “Oh my gosh I do sort of blend in,” and it’s the loveliest feeling. The Maltese people have been so kind.’
Tourist for the day: Casually dressed in a grey t-shirt and baggy jeans, the future Duchess of Sussex looks decidedly happy and carefree in the images, taken in 2015
In an interview during her stay, she said: ‘In Gozo I loved the fresh goat’s milk cheeses, particularly the pickled ones with the black pepper on them.
‘I’m about to have the spaghetti with rabbit, which I’ve been waiting to try. This morning, for breakfast, I tried the pastizzi with peas and ricotta. Oh my goodness they’re delicious! So my suitcase will be filled with all sorts of Maltese treats.’
Meghan also gushed about the ‘bucolic bliss’ of the Maltese countryside in an Instagram post written at the time.
It is believed the remarkably candid snaps were taken in March 2015 – just four months before she met Prince Harry and eventually swapped the showbiz world for Kensington Palace.
Casually dressed in a grey t-shirt and baggy jeans, the future Duchess of Sussex looks decidedly happy and carefree in the images.
She appears to be wearing her beloved £1,600 MaxMara ‘Manuela’ Coat, which has not seen the light of day since Meghan became a fully-fledged royal.
One photo sees her with the Marquis de Piro and his wife Frances at their home Casa Rocca Piccola, while dressed in a traditional għonnella headdress.
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