The Duchess of Sussex was on hand for the two-night grand opening of Godmothers, a new bookstore near her home in Montecito, California

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends the “Keynote: Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen,” during the SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals on March 8, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Photo: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty

When it comes to priorities, parenthood comes first for Meghan Markle.

That was evident over the weekend when Meghan, 43, had to make a quick exit from the Sept. 7 grand opening of Godmothers, a bookstore near the home in Montecito, California she shares with husband Prince Harry and kids Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

After sharing remarks herself and listening intently to others’ messages from the front row, Meghan “made a dash for the door,” according to Town & Country.

“Wasn’t that incredible?” she said of the evening’s program, before adding apologetically as she left, “I’ve got to make dinner for the kids.”

Meghan Markle speaking at Godmothers bookstore in Montecito, California on Sept. 7, 2024.Sara Prince

The Sept. 7 grand opening was the second night of a two-night celebration for the bookstore, owned by literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson. The night prior, Sept. 6, Meghan was joined by Prince Harry, 39, at the friends and family party, during which the Duke of Sussex pointed to his memoir, Spare, when asked if he had a book recommendation.

Both Spare and Meghan’s 2021 children’s book, The Bench, are featured in the store’s “Our Local Authors” display. The book, which she wrote to “depict another side of masculinity — one grounded in connection, emotion and softness,” according to a blog post she wrote at the time — became a New York Times bestseller, as did Spare upon its release in 2023.

For the Sept. 6 event, Meghan wore an ivory Ralph Lauren tank, long trousers and black Aquazzura shoes and greeted people with kisses to both cheeks as “Harry turned handshakes into back-slapping hugs,” Town & Country reported. “The Sussexes then spent an hour deep in several conversations, moving seamlessly from one group to the next.”

Meghan Markle at Godmothers bookstore in Montecito, California on Sept. 6, 2024.Sara Prince

The couple’s ease meant a lot to Jackson, who has known the couple since shortly after they stepped back as working royals and relocated from the UK to Montecito in 2020. “Seeing them be able to come here and be in a safe space,” she said. “It’s what we want it to be.”

Feeling safe at Godmothers isn’t the first time Meghan has felt safe in a bookstore. While speaking the next night, Sept. 7, for the bookstore’s grand opening, the Duchess of Sussex reflected on the last time she popped into a bookstore — this time in New York City in 2019, while still a working royal. Meghan was in N.Y.C. during a covert trip from the UK to watch her friend, Serena Williams, play in the U.S. Open, she said, per Town & Country. Before anyone could figure out she was in town, she went for a walk to a bookstore.

“For me, sneaking to New York five years ago was a really big deal,” she told the crowd assembled, describing how she put on a cap and kept her head down. “I was still so uncomfortable being out in the world. The safety of what I was craving, I knew I could find in a bookstore.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Godmothers bookstore on Sept. 6, 2024.Sara Prince

As seen in a photo shared by author Laura Lynne Jackson on her Instagram Story, Meghan took the mic wearing a sleeveless Club Monaco jumpsuit paired with Jimmy Choo leather strappy mule sandals.

In her remarks, she thanked the bookstore’s founders “for not just creating the space, but for holding the space for so many people to feel seen through the pages, either in laughter, in grief, in feeling less alone,” she said, before excusing herself to go home to her family and the dinner that awaited them.

During her visit to Nigeria in May alongside Harry, Meghan said during a candid panel discussion about women in leadership that “being a mom has always been a dream of mine,” PEOPLE previously reported. “And so I’m fortunate that we have two beautiful, healthy, very chatty, sweet children.” She added, “I love being a mom, I love being a mom.”