Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were last night spotted out partying in New York as they kickstarted their tour of the city, exclusive pictures for MailOnline show.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their huge security team descended on the swanky Bemelmans Bar in the £1,300-a-night Carlyle Hotel.
Witnesses said the couple, who have left their children Archie and Lilibet in Los Angeles during the three-day trip, pulled up with tens cars and about 20 guards.
Onlookers watched as the hired muscle took over tables around them as they sipped pre-dinner cocktails and chatted with a blonde woman and brunette man.
Other stunned punters said Harry and Meghan drank martinis before leaving via the back door around three hours later and bundling into their Cadillac Escalade.
It came the night before the couple visited the 9/11 memorial and One World Trade Center during their first major public appearance since quitting the royal family.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were last night spotted out partying in New York as they kickstarted their tour of the city, exclusive pictures for MailOnline show
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their huge security team descended on the swanky Bemelmans Bar in the £1,300-a-night Carlyle Hotel
Witnesses said the couple, who have left their children Archie and Lilibet in Los Angeles during the three-day trip, pulled up with tens cars and about 20 guards
Onlookers watched as the hired muscle took over tables around them as they sipped pre-dinner cocktails and chatted with a blond woman and brunette man
Other stunned punters said Harry and Meghan drank martinis before leaving via the back door around three hours later and bundling into their Cadillac Escalade
The Duchess of Sussex appears to smile in the image as she speaks to the blonde-haired companion, while Harry raises his drink
The Duke of Sussex stoops down to sip his drink, said to be a cocktail, while Meghan continues to chat to the other woman
Prince Harry gestures with his right hand while holding a drink as he talks to Meghan and their friend over the table last night
They found a cosy corner in the swanky Bemelmans Bar in the £1,300-a-night Carlyle Hotel during their visit there last night
The Duke of Sussex appeared to be drinking a cream-coloured drink as he pointed during his chat with Meghan and their friends
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are far from the first big names to grace the floors of £1,300-a-night The Carlyle Hotel in New York City.
Meghan and Harry were pictured enjoying drinks at Bemelmans, the swanky 1947 piano bar that has been frequented by Bono, Mariah Carey, John Mayer and Billy Joel.
Princess Diana was known to be a regular guest at The Carlyle, known as New York's 'Tower of Power' which enjoys spectacular roof top views of Central Park.
And other royals, including Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have also stayed there in 2005 and 2014 respectively.
Designed in Art Deco style and built in 1930, today The Carlyle boasts 190 rooms and suites.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pictured arriving at The Carlyle ahead of their 2014 New York trip
A stone's throw away from the city's famous Madison Avenue, The Carlyle boasts of offering its elite clientele the perfect blend of 'discretion and grace'.
The historical landmark has seen a wealth of stars, celebrities and world leaders pass through its halls over the past 80 years.
Woody Allen was known to have played clarinet in the cafe, while guests have reported brushing shoulders with Steve Jobs, Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger while using the lifts.
At least six former U.S presidents called on The Carlyle as a home away from home, with insiders dubbing the luxury hotel the New York White House as a result.
President John F. Kennedy even reportedly snuck Marilyn Monroe into his 34th floor room through the service entrance and backdoors of the hotel.
Princess Diana was known to be a regular guest at the £1,300-a-night The Carlyle Hotel in New York City
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The details of the Sussexes' trip to the Big Apple are closely guarded but they are thought to be heading to 50 UN Plaza in Midtown East at 1pm on Thursday.
It is an apartment building close to the United Nations Global Headquarters and is home to the US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The purpose of the drop in session has not been released, but it will mark the second stop on their trip around the city.
Earlier atop the One World Trade Center, Meghan, 40, smiled and said 'it's wonderful to be back' in New York - almost exactly two years on from her last visit in September 2019 when she cheered on close friend and tennis star Serena Williams at the 2019 US Open.
The Duchess, who wore heavy fall clothes despite humid 80F weather, spoke moments before she and her husband visited the 9/11 Memorial as part of their first big public trip together since quitting the Royal Family in early 2020.
She and her husband Harry, 37, posed for photos in front of the observatory's floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer stunning views of New York City and New Jersey. The Sussexes were joined by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, 63, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, 60, de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray, 66, and the couple's son Dante, 24.
Harry and Meghan, who arrived in NYC on Wednesday, and are rumored to be staying at the $1,300-a-night Carlyle Hotel, then visited the 9/11 memorial pools around 9am EST.
The couple inspected the large black pools, built in the footprints of the original Twin Towers, before entering the 9/11 Museum, which sits underneath, and spending around half an hour inside.
Saturday's Global Citizen concert in Central Park is the Sussexes' next confirmed appearance, and it is currently unclear how they will spend the remainder of Thursday and Friday.
Harry and Meghan, who donned somber dark outfits, walked hand-in-hand around the memorial pools and museum accompanied by National September 11 Memorial & Museum President Alice Greenwald and Patricia Harris from Bloomberg Philanthropy.
The couple's two-year-old son Archie and three month-old daughter Lilibet remain at home in California.
Meghan last visited the city in February 2019, when pals including Amal Clooney and Gayle King held a lavish baby shower for her at The Mark Hotel's $75,000-a-night penthouse suite on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
The Duchess traveled to that event from London on a private jet, with the bash estimated to have cost $500,000.
It is unclear if the Sussexes - famed for their pronouncements on climate change - arrived in New York on a commercial flight or flew there by private jet.
It is also unclear who is paying for the trip and for the security detail around the Sussexes.
Harry and Meghan arrived at One World Trade Center at 8:14am Thursday in somber outfits, likely chosen for their planned trip to the nearby 9/11 Memorial afterwards.
The couple exited a black SUV, and were whisked up to the skyscraper's viewing deck - which sits between floors 100 and 102 - to meet Hochul and de Blasio, who arrived moments before the royals.
Meghan donned a stylish dark blue outfit, with a matching jacket, polo neck, wide-legged trousers, heels and her hair swept back into a business-like bun. She wore simple pearl earrings and muted makeup.
Harry wore a complementary dark suit and tie. The couple were snapped donning black face masks as they entered One World Trade Center.
They held hands as the walked up the steps of the building, with Harry giving a wave to watching fans who shouted his name on seeing him.
No details on why the royals are meeting with the Democrat lawmakers and what they plan to discuss were shared in advance.
De Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray, 66, and the mayoral couple's son Dante, 24, were also there to welcome the royal couple, who are visiting from their home in Montecito, California.
The mayor and governor arrived and entered the building a few minutes ahead of the Sussexes.
A small group of taxi drivers protested the event to call on Mayor de Blasio to offer additional protection for yellow cab drivers who've been hit by the rise in popularity of ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft, with security also present to guard the royals and politicians.
'De Blasio help the cabbies, Mr. Mayor help the cabbies,' the group chanted as de Blasio arrived at the building.
One of the drivers told DailyMail.com called for the mayor
