Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, visited three charities in Nottingham on Thursday, October 15, 2026, their first joint engagement since moving back to Britain with their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5. Harry is 42 and Meghan 45. The couple returned in August, and the outing looked a great deal like royal work from people who no longer do it.
Nottingham was chosen for a reason. It is where they made their first joint public appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017. NBC News royal contributor Emily Nash called it “almost a full-circle moment” because it “looks very much like a royal engagement.”
Three stops, warm crowds
The day began at the Community Recording Studio, a youth and community charity Harry has visited before, most recently last year. A cheering crowd, many of them young children, met the couple. Meghan, in a long burgundy coat, stopped for selfies, hugs and handshakes, and at one point kissed a woman on the cheek after being handed a gift. Harry, in a dark suit and open-necked white shirt, bent down to talk to one child and told the crowd it was “very nice” to see everyone. Meghan told wellwishers: “It’s great to be back.”
The couple were also due at Himmah, the region’s biggest food bank, and at Epic Partners, which offers mentoring, sport and education to disadvantaged young people. Nash had predicted a “warm reception” given Harry’s “long history with” the first charity.
The catch is the status
The mechanics here are less simple than the pictures suggest. A letter sent on behalf of King Charles III to senior government and military officials confirmed that Harry and Meghan remain nonworking members of the royal family. The king’s letter, released last month, described their position as “akin to private citizens” with charitable interests, and said they should not be addressed as His and Her Royal Highness. A spokesperson for the couple told NBC News they were “surprised” by it, though they accepted that status when they left Britain in 2020 for Montecito, California.
On closer reading, that makes the Nottingham trip awkward for the palace. A Lord Chamberlain’s letter said the pair stepped down from representative duties in January 2020. Working royals get administrative and other support from the Royal Household. The Sussexes do not. Nash’s view was that “nothing’s stopping them” and that “they don’t need the palace’s permission to do this.” The visit also renews questions about security, since the couple remain in a public row with Buckingham Palace over the lack of publicly funded police protection.
The return has been bumpy in other ways. Nash said the children had to be moved from their school after just two days, though she was told Archie and Lilibet are settling in well and are very happy at the new one. News of the move sent shock waves through the British media.
A family still apart
The last time the couple appeared together at a public event in Britain was Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022. Relations with the family have been strained since their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and Harry’s memoir “Spare,” which made allegations of racism and bullying. Harry and Meghan have sought to build bridges with Charles, but remain estranged from Prince William.
The king was in Wales the same day, addressing the Welsh parliament. Anti-monarchy protesters could be heard chanting “Not my King” and “Down, down, down with the Crown” as he and Queen Camilla arrived, according to reports.
Sources
- Harry and Meghan cheered in first joint appearance since returning to U.K.
- 'Great to be back!' Harry, Meghan in first joint outing since UK return
