Is Meghan really being 'humble' as she is seen at an exclusive London hotel with Malala? Meghan Markle is attempting to project a more humble image upon her return to the UK, but her appearance at an exclusive London hotel with Malala Yousafzai suggests otherwise. While she is meeting with influential figures, her public presence remains sparse and strategic, indicating a desire to balance her status with a lower profile. For some years now, Meghan has leaned rather hard into her status. Consumption has been conspicuous, signalled by the diamonds, the gold accessories, the Cartier watch and so on. Offerings - even of ordinary foodstuffs like jam and tea - have been 'elevated' by fancy packaging and sky-high prices. The chocolates in her infamously expensive As Ever advent calendar that went on sale last week cost nearly £6 each and are stamped with gold calligraphy, based on her own handwriting.And yet, even as pictures emerged of her shrouded in £1,700 white trousers and hanging on to a £5,000-plus Chanel handbag outside Claridge's in Mayfair on Wednesday, friends were briefing that this is actually a new 'humble' version of the Duchess of Sussex. Not that you might immediately notice.'She is very conscious about how she wants pictures to land which is why you have barely seen her,' says a friend. 'She has honestly been trying to keep a low profile. I mean, on one level obviously if you meet someone at Claridge's it will be noticed, but look at how quiet she has been on social media, how little she has been out.' Indeed for a 'public figure', which is how her spokesman described her, she has been barely seen since she and Harry arrived by private jet on August 26. Meghan and Malala were spotted in London yesterday after the duchess's return to the UK The Duchess of Sussex and the Nobel Peace Prize winner first met during Covid, six years ago And yet now here she is, with a Nobel Peace Prize winner no less, the immaculately philanthropic figure, Malala Yousafzai.Meghan Aligns With Nobel Laureate MalalaMalala, who was a 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl when she was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 after advocating female education, is a charity powerhouse par excellence. The pair first met during Covid, when Meghan was among the celebrity voices lending their heft to a campaign for female education in 2020. It was the first impressive link-up of many. Indeed, at times you get the impression that Meghan is a collector of influential female figures.First, there was TV powerhouse Oprah, who was invited to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry even though the pair had never met. Then there was Amal Clooney, the human rights lawyer wife of Hollywood star George, who also found herself in the pews of St George's Chapel. Again, it wasn't clear if they'd ever met either. Sources indicate that neither woman is in contact with Meghan now.Another high-profile woman whose orbit Meghan entered was feminist icon Gloria Steinem, whose death last month she marked by posting an oddly self-referential tribute in which she shared three pictures of the pair together. Other women with whom she has 'palled up' - philanthropist Nicole Avant, wife of Netflix boss Ted Sarandos, and designer Tracy James, married to former Paramount boss Brian Robbins - also appear to have become distant from her.Claridges Meeting With Malala YousafzaiWe shall see what happens with Malala, 29, who looked notably ill at ease alongside the duchess on the pavements of Mayfair. Malala, who is now married and lives in Birmingham, runs the Malala Fund and campaigns to bring education to girls globally. The meeting at Claridges, where the two had a £95-a-head afternoon tea, has notably not been shared by Meghan on social media.A source close to the duchess said that it was simply a personal meeting and that there was nothing to be briefed out of it. The meeting at Claridge's, where the two had a £95-a-head afternoon tea, has not been shared by Meghan on social media It is true that there appears to have been efforts by Meghan to have a lower profile since coming back to England.She and Harry were pictured together for the first time last week, walking into a Cotswolds pub. That was five weeks after their jet touched down in Birmingham. Meghan has made a smattering of Instagram posts: one, on September 14, showed the Sussexes settling into their rural life, with the children in wellies and a snap of a blazing fire, plus the family fishing at a lake.A friend said: 'They are all really happy with how things are going, with the children at school, with where they are living, and with being in Britain. The place where they are staying is perfectly private and they couldn't be happier with that. Things are going well with Harry's family as well, but nothing more to be said there.'They are optimistic that there will be a revision of their security soon. It's all good. Both Harry and Meghan are really delighted with the return.Duchess And Duke Adopt Humble Approach' The friend adds: 'The relocation to the UK is being served with a dose of humble pie though. There are genuine concerns from them both about how they are being received, how they want what they are doing to land.'They have been thinking about it and being very deliberate. They think that if they start posting stuff on Instagram it will land badly. It is part of a thought-out plan to keep their heads down between now and Christmas, when they will go back to California for the holidays. '