Prince Harry, Meghan Markle chow down on comfort food in Harlem, donate $25K to COVID-19 relief fund

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continued their appearances around the Big Apple on Friday and ended up digging in to some comfort food in Harlem.

Meghan, 40, and Harry, 37, paid a visit to Melba's Restaurant in Harlem where the Duke of Sussex reportedly chowed down on fried chicken and waffles for the first time. The eatery tweeted about the Sussexes appearance on Friday, revealing that the pair also donated $25,000 to its COVID-19 Employee Relief Fund. According to the food establishment's website, the goal of the fund is to raise a minimum of $250,000 to provide financial relief to the dozens of hourly workers impacted at Melba's.

"This was truly a dream come true for this girl who was Born, Bred and Buttered in Harlem! I am forever grateful!" the restaurant tweeted along with a video of the couple greeting owner Melba Wilson with hugs.

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In a second tweet, Wilson confirmed the Sussexes' donation, writing, "It was such an honor to officially welcome Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Melba's! I am so thankful for their commitment to donate $25k and hope to welcome them back soon. Thank you for dining with us!"

The duke and duchess traveled to New York for their scheduled appearance at the Global Citizen Live event taking place on Saturday. The 24-hour event will be broadcast live from the Great Lawn in New York City's Central Park. The event will feature appearances from a bevy of stars to promote equal access to the coronavirus vaccine to world leaders. Specifically, the campaign is calling on G7 countries and the European Union to share at least 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to those most in need.

Prior to their lunch stop on Friday, the parents of two visited a school in Harlem where they brought some students to tears. Meghan read her children's book "The Bench" to the students at PS 123, a school that services shelters for students without permanent homes. 

Meghan's luxury outfit also made headlines while the pair made their way around the city on Friday. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly wore a Loro Piana cashmere coat, which can be found here, with a price tag of $5,840. The outerwear matched a pair of Loro Piana trousers, which can be found here, worth $1,685.

Meghan and Harry first were photographed in the Big Apple on Thusrday where they made their first appearance at the One World Trade Center Observatory for a scheduled 8 a.m. visit with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The couple's upcoming appearance at Global Citizen Live won't be their first event promoting the coronavirus vaccines. In May, Meghan made a statement about the importance of the shots during Global Citizen’s VAX LIVE Concert.

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The Duchess of Sussex delivered an impassioned speech that urged citizens of the world to get vaccinated and help ensure COVID-19 vaccines are distributed for an "equitable and compassionate tomorrow."

"As campaign chairs of VAX LIVE, my husband and I believe it's critical that our recovery prioritizes the health, safety and success of everyone, and particularly women who have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic," Meghan said in a pre-recorded video message, which was played during the concert’s broadcast.

Harry made sure to thank the vaccinated front-line workers who made up the concert’s live audience, but he also expressed the importance of global vaccine distribution.

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"This pandemic will not end unless we act collectively with an unprecedented commitment to our shared humanity," he said at the event. "The vaccine must be distributed to everyone, everywhere. We cannot rest or truly recover until there is fair distribution to every corner of the world."

Harry and Meghan's New York City trip comes a little over a year after they settled down in California after stepping down from senior royal family member duties in 2020.