EXCLUSIVE: Independent woman! Meghan Markle is seen in her car for the first time since JANUARY 2020 as she heads to Montecito – while Prince Harry makes a solo trip to the UK to pay his respects to the Queen on the anniversary of her death

Meghan Markle was spotted in her car for the first time since January 2020 as she headed to California – while her husband, Prince Harry, took a solo trip to the UK, where he paid his respects to the Queen on the anniversary of her death the departure to Germany.

In images shared exclusively with DailyMail.com, the 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex is pictured behind the wheel of a $140,000 black Range Rover on Thursday afternoon, just as her husband touched down in London for the first time in months to attend an awards gala.

The mother of two wore dark sunglasses as she drove near Harry’s $14.65 million home in Montecito, just a few miles from the $18 million Malibu estate that she and her husband own had reportedly been keeping an eye on recently.

The last time Meghan was pictured in the driver’s seat was more than three years ago – when she drove to Victoria International Airport in Canada to pick up a friend on January 17, 2020 – right around the time she and Harry made their announcement that they would step back from their royal duties.

Meghan Markle was spotted in her car for the first time since January 2020 as she headed to California – while her husband, Prince Harry, took a solo trip to the UK

Photographers caught the 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex behind the wheel of a $140,000 black Range Rover on Thursday afternoon

Hours later, Harry attended an annual charity event called the WellChild Awards, where he gave a touching speech about Queen Elizabeth II

The mother of two pulled a pair of dark sunglasses over her face as she drove near her and Harry’s $14 million home in Montecito

The last time Meghan was pictured in the driver’s seat was more than three years ago – when she drove to an airport in Canada to pick up a friend on January 17, 2020 (pictured)

Since then, she has only been seen traveling with private chauffeurs and private drivers.

The latest outing came shortly after Harry, 38, landed in his home country to honor his late grandmother – marking his first return to England since June.

He attended an annual charity event called the WellChild Awards, where he gave a touching speech about Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday – the eve of the one-year anniversary of her death.

He told the crowd that she was “looking down on them all” and “happy they were together.”

“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards ceremony last year because my grandmother passed away,” he said, referencing how he withdrew from the ceremony last year after it was revealed that the queen was seriously ill, and traveled to Balmoral – separate from the ceremony – the rest of the royal family – to be present at her deathbed.

“As you probably also know, she would have been the first to insist that I come to you anyway instead of going to her.”

“And that’s exactly why I know that tonight, exactly one year later, she’s looking down on all of us and happy that together we continue to shine a spotlight on such an incredible community.”

On Friday, the Duke of Sussex was spotted leaving St George’s Chapel – where the Queen was buried last year.

Since then, she has only traveled with private chauffeurs and private drivers – but now she is back behind the wheel

Meghan’s latest outing came shortly after Harry, 38, landed in his home country to honor his late grandmother – marking his first return to England since June

She was originally said to be attending the Invictus Games with him this weekend, but her name was removed from the schedule

On Friday, the Duke of Sussex was spotted leaving St George’s Chapel – where the Queen was buried last year

Hours later, photographers filmed him arriving in Germany for this weekend’s Invictus Games – and leaving the UK without seeing his father or brother.

Harry – who founded the Paralympic competition for injured military personnel and veterans – will attend a reception at Düsseldorf City Hall on Saturday and open the games later that evening.

It was initially assumed that Meghan would attend the event with her husband, as the original schedule called for her to “take to the stage” during the closing ceremony to provide “an intimate and moving glimpse into the extraordinary journeys of the participants in the Invictus Games”. .’

But her name mysteriously disappeared from the site earlier this week and was replaced by that of moderator Hadnet Tesfai.

A source told DailyMail.com that the first schedule was uploaded in error. It is now unclear whether she will attend the event.

Last year, Meghan supported Harry at the Invictus Games and even introduced him on stage.

Hours later, photographers filmed him arriving in Germany for this weekend’s Invictus Games – and leaving the UK without seeing his father or brother

Last year, Meghan supported Harry at the Invictus Games and even introduced him on stage – but it remains unclear whether she will take part this year as her name was dropped from the programme

She recently attended Beyoncé’s concert in LA – where she partied with a host of stars. She appeared on the show with Kerry Washington and Kelly Rowland

Shortly before Harry flew to England, he and Meghan, who share son Archie, four, and daughter Lilibet, two, enjoyed a date night as they attended music sensation Beyoncé’s concert in Los Angeles on Friday evening – where they spent the whole Danced the night away.

Meghan also attended another of the singer’s sold-out shows in LA on Monday – this time without her other half – where she performed with artists including Katy Perry, the Kardashians, Lizzo, Tyler Perry, Jeff Bezos, Chris Rock, Adele, Justin and Hailey Bieber and many other stars.

She was also seen meeting with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and his wife Nicole Avant.

The couple famously signed a $100 million deal with Netflix in 2020. They then released a six-part documentary with the streaming giant at the end of 2022.

Harry then launched a documentary about the Invictus Games earlier this year, but it was branded a flop after it failed to make the top 10 list in Britain and America.

Former actress Meghan’s legal drama Suits, which originally made her a star, was added to the platform over the summer and reached a whopping 3.14 billion minutes in a week.