Meghan Markle gets goofy on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show

It was the Meghan hour Thursday on the talk show of her friend, Ellen DeGeneres, as the Duchess of Sussex helped welcome a special guest, hit the studio lot to prank vendors and said she'll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner herself.

"I love to cook. We'll be home and just sort of relax and settle in," Meghan said of her second Thanksgiving in California with Prince Harry and, now, their two kids.

Meghan and DeGeneres, who met at a pet store more than a decade ago, chatted about Halloween (Archie was a dinosaur and baby Lili a skunk), and more serious issues like Meghan's work to push for federal paid family leave. And she said Harry has taken nicely to the California lifestyle in Montecito, where Ellen is one of their neighbours.

"He loves it," Meghan said. "We're just happy."

Meghan got Ellen-style goofy when she donned an earpiece so Ellen could tell her what to say and do as she perused the wares of three vendors on the studio lot. Meghan mewed in cat ears, devoured hot sauce on crackers like a chipmunk and held a huge crystal to her face — all after a pretend assistant told the trio of sellers to treat her just like everybody else. They could barely keep from laughing.

"Let Mommy taste some. My boo loves hot sauce," Meghan told one seller with a table full of hot sauces. "Mommy wants some heat."

Later on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Ellen and Meghan welcomed Brittany Starks, a Tennessee mother and hairdresser who gave back after being helped herself through hard times by braiding the hair of schoolchildren for free. Since, she has started a charity, A Twist of Greatness.

The show and philanthropy partner TisBest donated $20,000 to her cause. Meghan and Harry matched it with another $20,000.

"We were so touched by your story," Meghan told Starks, giving her a hug.