Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were greeted by cheering supporters in Nottingham on Thursday as they carried out their first joint public appearance since returning to live in the United Kingdom in August, according to CBS News, NBC News and ABC News, which all carried reports on the visit.
CBS News reported that the stop marked Meghan's first public appearance in the U.K. in four years. The couple visited three charities supporting children, young people and families in the city in central England, according to ABC News, which described the outing as their first joint engagement since moving back to Britain.
The day began at the Community Recording Studio, a youth and community charity that uses music, performance and athletic programs to help young people build confidence and develop practical skills, according to ABC News. NBC News reported that Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, who wore a long burgundy coat, stopped to take selfies, give hugs and shake hands with members of the public and children who had gathered outside. ABC News reported that several fans brought flowers.
The couple also visited Himmah, described by ABC News as central England's biggest food bank, and Epic Partners, which offers sports, education and mentoring programs for disadvantaged young people. ABC News noted that Harry has been involved with the Community Recording Studio and Epic Partners for more than a decade, and Meghan previously worked with Himmah.
Nottingham holds a specific place in the couple's history. As NBC News reported, it was the city where they made their first joint public appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017. NBC News royal contributor Emily Nash was quoted describing Thursday's events as "almost a full circle moment because it looks very much like a royal engagement." The Mirror reported that Meghan, upon meeting crowds outside the Community Recording Studio, declared, "Oh it's great to be back," before the couple later donned aprons for a cooking class as their second engagement of the day.
Reuters carried the visit in two separate dispatches, posting from its account at @Reuters that Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan were in Nottingham. ABC News, posting from @ABC, said the couple were "stepping out for their first joint engagement since moving back to the United Kingdom in August." A second ABC News post from the same account said the couple, who walked away from royal duties six years ago, "seek to rebuild their brand in Britain" while conducting their first joint public appearances since moving back to England.
NBC News, posting from @NBCNews, reported the couple were making their first public appearance together since returning to the U.K. and were visiting three charities in Nottingham. CBS News, posting from @CBSNews, said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted by cheering supporters on Thursday and noted the appearance was their first joint public one in the U.K. since returning to live in Britain in August, after six years in California.
The status of the couple was addressed repeatedly in the coverage. A CBS News transcript accompanying its video report stated that the appearances were being carried out as public figures, not as, quote, working royals, even though the scene resembled royal engagements of the past, with media coverage and members of the public lining the streets hoping to shake hands and take selfies.
The transcript also stated that King Charles III issued a letter last month, described as an edict reminding government officials and the public where the couple stand officially, which is that they are not working royals and should be viewed as, quote, private citizens with commercial and charitable interests. ABC News reported that the letter was released in September by the Royal Household under the direction of the King, and that it stressed the couple would continue to refrain from using their royal forms of address, His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness, with any charity work carried out as private citizens.
ABC News reported the letter was sent shortly after Harry and Meghan returned to the U.K. in September and was subsequently released to the media, which the outlet described as demonstrating concern among some palace officials that the couple's celebrity could allow them to become a sort of parallel royal court, competing with the Prince and Princess of Wales and other working royals for press coverage and public support.
ABC News also noted that the day's events were presented with touches of royal style, including an announcement featuring Harry and Meghan's titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and a prearranged media pool chronicling their movements, while Archewell, the philanthropic venture that often took center stage when they lived in the U.S., was hardly mentioned.
Background on the couple's departure from royal life was included across the coverage. ABC News reported that the couple, now parents of two children, Archie and Lilibet, stepped away from their senior royal roles in 2020 and moved to California the same year, where they lived until their return to the U.K. in late August. NBC News similarly reported the couple returned to the United Kingdom with their two children and were looking to rebuild their image in Britain six years after walking away from royal life.
The CBS News transcript further stated that since moving back, Harry and Meghan have not seen King Charles, according to reporting by Roya Nika, royal editor at the Sunday Times, and that they will not be present at Christmas at Sandringham, where the royal family gathers each year. It also stated that until Thursday, Meghan had only been seen in the U.K. on her own social media, with video of her in the countryside with her children, presumed to be the Cotswolds, and having tea in London with Malala.
ABC News reported that Harry and Meghan have not shared publicly where in the U.K. they are living, nor where Archie and Lilibet are enrolled in school. NBC News reported that Harry has visited the Community Recording Studio before, including just last year.
Additional coverage of the same subject described the scene in similar terms. The Mirror, in a live report, said the couple were mobbed by fans and that Meghan's "it's great to be back" remark came as crowds cheered. People reported that the couple's Nottingham return echoed their first joint royal visit nearly nine years ago, noting similarities including cheering crowds, bouquets of flowers and a familiar walkabout.
Next News Network could not independently verify the reported details of the couple's schedule, the contents of the letter attributed to King Charles III, or the descriptions of their status as private citizens. The accounts above are drawn from the reporting of CBS News, NBC News, ABC News and other outlets covering the visit.
Our Take
The Sussexes want it both ways, and the palace knows it. Thursday's scene in Nottingham had every trapping of a royal engagement — the titles in the announcement, the prearranged media pool, the walkabout, the flowers, the selfies — while the couple's defenders insist they are simply private citizens pursuing charitable interests. That is not a distinction the British public is being allowed to miss, because King Charles III made sure of it with a letter reminding everyone, in writing, that Harry and Meghan are not working royals and will not use their royal forms of address. The timing was no accident. It came after their return to Britain, and it was released to the media, which tells you the palace is watching the coverage and worried about a parallel court forming across the country.
What the coverage shows is a couple testing whether celebrity can substitute for the institution they left. CBS News noted the day looked very much like royal engagements of the past. ABC News noted the royal styling and the quiet sidelining of Archewell, the brand that defined their California years. NBC News called it an effort to rebuild their image six years after walking away. None of that is a secret, and none of it is accidental. The crowds in Nottingham turned out, and Meghan said it was great to be back, but the harder questions remain unanswered: they have not seen the King since returning, per the reporting cited by CBS News, and they will not be at Sandringham for Christmas. A walkabout is not a reconciliation, and a cheering crowd is not a restoration. If the Sussexes want the privileges of royal life without its obligations, the palace has now put in writing that the deal does not exist — and the taxpayers and the public deserve to know exactly which side of that line the couple intends to stand on.
