Royalty at the Grill: Prince Harry and Meghan’s Surprise Visit to La Barbecue in Austin

On a sunny International Women’s Day, La Barbecue in Austin experienced a visit fit for royalty. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made a stop at the renowned woman-owned establishment during their time at SXSW. The visit was planned several weeks in advance.

Greeted with warm hugs by owner Ali Clem, the famous couple displayed a sincere appreciation for good food.

Below video of Harry and Meghan arriving from Brandon Major Instagram.

Engaging in conversation about the menu and the business, they took a special tour of the smokers. Clem, the co-founder of La Barbecue alongside her late wife, LeAnn Mueller, shared insights about the competitive barbecue scene in Austin and the strong barbecue community in Texas.

From Austin-American Statesman —

We have been blessed with having some pretty big name celebrities and chefs walking through our doors, but I do feel like this is one for the books,” Clem said.

Despite a time crunch, the couple made the most of their 30-minute visit. They interacted with the staff, took memorable photos, and met Francisco Saucedo, a 12-year La Barbecue veteran. To savor the flavors of La Barbecue, the royal couple opted for a to-go order, choosing the restaurant’s signature La Chopped sandwich, a sliced brisket sandwich, chipotle sausage, and a 1/2 pound of pork ribs.

Impressed by the culinary experience, a representative for the couple revealed that it was the best barbecue they had ever eaten. La Barbecue, accustomed to serving celebrities, considered this visit a high point, especially given the unexpected presence of Meghan Markle on International Women’s Day.

Ali Clem expressed her gratitude for the extra-special visit and the joy it brought to La Barbecue. She fondly recalled sharing a laugh with the royal couple about the significance of International Women’s Day and emphasized how this unexpected visit was truly one for the books.

“I told (Meghan and Harry) that I told my staff they had to be nice to me all day because it was International Women’s Day, and they thought that was funny,” Clem said.

Please Note: While we covered this in our previous post, we felt it only fair to give full attention to this visit in a separate post once reading more about it today.

Our look at what Meghan wore for the visit.

For the visit Meghan wore a new blazer from Heidi Merrick – the ‘Zelda’ in ivory silk and hemp, $365.

She paired the jacket with a chambray shirt and medium wash cropped straight leg jeans.

The shirt has been a challenge to find as there are very clear details other than it appears to have one pocket on the left side of the chest.

Mary of Meghan’s Closet Chronicles suggests she may be wearing a shirt from Aritzia — the Denim Forum ‘The ’80s Comfy Denim Shirt’, $98.

Here are some other options to “get the look”.

J. Crew Garçon classic chambray, $98 / Wren slim western chambray shirt, $98 / Classic-fit chambray shirt, $70

While we aren’t able see clear details of the jeans, one thought is that they could be from Anine Bing – the Gavin in Clean Blue, $250.

The details on the front of the jeans look close to what Meghan is wearing.

These jeans from J. Crew are a great RepliMeg affordable option – the 9″ vintage slim-straight jean in Lakeshore wash, $94.

We also saw these jeans on Aritizia’s site, the Levi’s 501 straight leg jeans in Hollow Days, $103.

Meghan’s sunglasses are from Heidi Merrick – the ‘Santa Barbara’ style in black, $215.

The Duchess wore her Chanel Goatskin & GrosgrainBeige & Black, $1050.

We show two affordable “get the look” styles below.

Kelly & Katie Jeife Flat, $50 / J Crew Factory, $69

Meghan appears to be wearing her Logan Hollowell ‘Baby Reverse Water Drop’ Diamond Tennis Necklace, $15,600.

She also had on her Ariel Gordon ‘Hex’ diamond tennis bracelet, $5500.

UPDATE 3/10: From photos and videos we can see that Meghan carried a large shoulder bag in possibly white.

The bag is from Mulberry — ‘Tyndale’ White Leather Bucket Bag in white. It is from a past collection around 2018.

Thanks again to Mary for finding the bag.

Be sure to check back as we will continue to update the post.