Meghan ‘feeling very pregnant’ during visit to retired performers at Twickenham care home

The Duchess of Sussex said she was “feeling very pregnant” as she met residents at a care home for retired actors, directors and entertainers.

Meghan, who is expecting her first child in the spring, was visiting Brinsworth House in Twickenham, southwest London, a residential nursing home run by the Royal Variety Charity.

The royal, herself a former actress, appeared to let out a sigh of relief as she sat down to talk to one of the residents, former West End actress Josephine Gordon.

She told Meghan they had been very excited about her visit, saying: “I’ve read all about you in the papers.”

When she asked the Duchess how she was feeling, Meghan replied: “I’m very well – I’m feeling very pregnant today”, as she rubbed the top of her growing baby bump.

Meghan seemed incredibly relaxed after what has been a difficult few weeks, with negative stories about her.

Her father, Thomas Markle, also gave another television interview saying his daughter won’t speak to him.

The 74-year-old told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he is being “shunned and ghosted” by Meghan and revealed he hoped that the Queen would step in to end the estrangement.

As well as sitting down to talk to some of the residents at Brinsworth House, Meghan visited the on-site hairdressers and asked if they did nails as well as hair.

She also joined in with Christmas songs and carols and impressed one resident by speaking in fluent Spanish.

Rosario Serrano, 87, a former Flamenco dancer and singer, accompanied the music with a bangle made of bells.

She said she felt able to talk to the Duchess as a fellow performer, and that Meghan had said she understood because she was in the business before she met her husband.

Meghan told the chairman of the Royal Variety Charity, Giles Cooper, that it had reminded her of a similar visit she made back in Los Angeles.

Mr Cooper said: “There’s no question she felt amongst her own in some respects.

“And she mentioned a care home in LA that she visited before which reminded her very much of Brinsworth House, so she enjoyed it very much as much as the residents did.”

The Royal Variety Charity has a proud history of links with the Royal family.

King George V, the Queen’s grandfather, was its first patron and the Queen remains their patron today.

And last month, Prince Harry and Meghan attended the Royal Variety Show.

Before departing, Meghan got into the Christmas spirit by using her calligraphy skills to help with a festive collage. On a piece of paper shaped like a bauble, she wrote “Merry Christmas Love Meghan” in decorative writing.

Next week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will join the rest of the Royal family at Sandringham for Christmas.

(c) Sky News 2018: Meghan ‘feeling very pregnant’ during visit to retired performers at Twickenham care home