Harry and Meghan in Nottingham: Their First Public Appearance Since Returning to the United Kingdom

The moment of their first public appearance together has finally arrived. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, arrived hand in hand in Nottingham for a busy day of engagements. The couple was all smiles as they stopped to greet people, chat, and pose for selfies with the crowd that gathered to welcome them. The visit comes at a time of intense scrutiny, as every appearance after their return to the UK carries possible repercussions for their relationship with King Charles III, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their roles as working royals in 2020, following their split from the royal family and subsequent move to California. Their royal status has not changed, something King Charles made clear in an official statement from Buckingham Palace that reiterated their status as private citizens, saying their personal activities do not represent the royal family. According to reports in the British press, this clarification took the couple by surprise, just as they began to establish a stronger presence in the United Kingdom. Despite this—and the monarch’s rejection of a “half in, half out” arrangement—Harry and Meghan appear intent on continuing their activities in the UK, even when their engagements coincide with those of members of the royal family.

On the day of the couple’s public return, King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected in Cardiff for the ceremonial opening of the Welsh Parliament—an event that marks the first time Charles has participated in the ceremony as king. This coincidental timing highlights their separate but parallel paths: on the one hand, the monarch’s institutional duties, carried out on behalf of the crown; on the other, the Sussexes’ personal initiatives, as they continue to maintain a public presence without holding official roles.

The Sussexes’ charitable visits: From youth programs to the fight against poverty

Harry and Meghan’s itinerary included three stops. The first was the Community Recording Studio (CRS), an organization based in the St. Ann’s neighborhood. Founded in 1991 by Trevor Rose and Nick Street, the center was created to introduce young people to music and audio recording, providing them with mentoring, spaces, and tools to express their creativity.

Over the years, its activities have expanded to include sports programs and personal development courses, with the goal to offer young people concrete opportunities for growth and encourage their participation in community life. There, Harry met Jah Digga, a musician and poet who attended the center as a child. Meghan, meanwhile, took part in a workshop focused on self-confidence and making friendship bracelets. The prince is already familiar with the CRS, as he visited it in September 2025, when he donated 1.1 million British pounds (roughly $1.5 million) to BBC Children in Need to support children who are victims of violence.

The second stop was a two-part visit at the Himmah Hub, a community action group committed to combating food insecurity and social exclusion. After Harry and Meghan participated in community cooking activities and shared a meal, they visited the organization’s food bank and helped prepare packages containing basic necessities for those in need.

The visit also held personal significance for Meghan, who was reunited with some of the women from the Hubb Community Kitchen, with whom she had collaborated during her transition into the royal family. The community kitchen project was launched following the devastating fire at London’s Grenfell Tower in June 2017, which claimed the lives of 72 people. The women involved in the initiative used the community center’s kitchen to prepare meals for families affected by the tragedy and to support the recovering community. In 2018, Meghan helped raise awareness about the project by supporting the creation of Together: Our Community Cookbook, which was developed in collaboration with the women of the community kitchen. It was her first personal charitable project after joining the royal family.

The Sussexes’ final stop was with Epic Partners, a Sneinton-based organization that supports children, teens, and families in the St. Ann’s and Sneinton neighborhoods. The organization’s work includes educational activities, sports, mentoring, and support programs for young people. An important part of their work focuses on providing early support to children facing difficult circumstances and those who have experienced trauma, offering opportunities for growth, tools to cope with daily challenges, and chances to build positive relationships within their social environment.

Harry and Meghan’s return to Nottingham, where they made their debut as a couple in 2017

Harry and Meghan decided to make their United Kingdom public debut in Nottingham, the city where, on December 1, 2017, they appeared for the first time as an engaged couple. Hundreds of enthusiastic people were there to welcome them, eager to see the newly formed couple up close. Back in 2017, just a few days after the engagement announcement, the prince collected numerous bouquets that fans handed to his future wife while he stood beside her.

It was a scene that newspapers at the time described with a touch of irony, portraying Harry as a sort of “chaperone” for his new fiancée. Two students from the University of Nottingham—Raushana Nurzhubalina, originally from Kazakhstan, and Jenn Galandy, from Canada—said they set their alarms for 6 a.m. to catch a glimpse of the couple. “It was a great honor to see the royals,” Nurzhubalina said at the time, adding that she was also a fan of the TV series Suits, in which Meghan had starred before leaving her acting career.

After meeting with the crowd, the couple headed to the Nottingham Contemporary Exhibition Centre to attend an event organized for World AIDS Day, in collaboration with the Terrence Higgins Trust, one of the UK’s leading organizations dedicated to HIV prevention and the promotion of sexual health.

Harry and Meghan met with representatives from the Terrence Higgins Trust, the African Institute for Social Development, and Champions for Change, an initiative that organizes soccer matches to encourage community members to get tested for HIV.

This is Meghan’s first public engagement since 2022, but she’s also thinking about acting

The return to Nottingham comes as Meghan continues to promote social initiatives and her own entrepreneurial projects. For the duchess, this marks her first appearance at a public event in the UK in four years; her last such appearance was at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. The return carries many implications, especially given the ongoing tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, and the controversy surrounding their institutional status. According to a friend of the duchess who spoke to Hello! magazine, Meghan is ready to return to the forefront of the issues close to her heart. “She’s up for it,” said the source. “There are still causes and there are still issues that Meghan is really passionate about supporting, and Nottingham is one of those.”

In recent days, Meghan met with Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and advocate for girls’ right to education, for afternoon tea at Claridge’s in London, to mark the International Day of the Girl Child. The meeting was accompanied by a charity initiative linked to Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever. The duchess announced that the net proceeds from that day’s sales of tea and jams would go to the Malala Fund, which promotes girls’ access to safe, quality education. “When we support the girls of today, we empower the women of tomorrow. Access to education is the key to unlocking this,” Meghan said on Instagram, where she has 4.9 million followers. On that same occasion, Meghan also launched a sweatshirt in collaboration with Moms Offering More, donating the proceeds to organizations that support mothers.

Meanwhile, rumors are swirling about a possible return to acting. According to a source cited by The Telegraph, Meghan is reportedly reading a number of scripts and considering a possible revival of her acting career, which began before her marriage to Harry. The same source reportedly explained that the Sussexes have different professional priorities: The prince is more focused on philanthropic activities and public service, while Meghan prioritizes her children, family, and running As Ever—without ruling out a return to the set. “She is reading a lot of scripts at the moment,” the source reportedly told the British newspaper.

Meanwhile, tensions remain high between the couple and the royal family. Harry and Meghan have not yet met with King Charles since permanently moving to the United Kingdom. The king is in Scotland, where he is spending a long fall break at Balmoral. According to a source cited by People, Harry and his father have spoken over the phone, and a meeting could take place in the future. At the moment, however, no specific date has been set. The last in-person meeting between King Charles and his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet, according to the outlet, took place in July, when the king reportedly saw the children at Highgrove for the first time in four years. It was a significant moment, but it has not yet led to a full reconciliation within the family.

In fact, the rift between Harry and his older brother appears to remain unresolved. According to reports, the two haven’t spoken since 2022, and Meghan and Harry’s relationship with Prince William and Princess Kate continues to be strained. A source told The Sunday Times this week that the Sussexes “won’t be having Christmas with the royal family. How could that even work? They know it would be too awkward and too difficult. They also know they’re not going to be invited, and they’re not waiting for an invitation.” The same source added that, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the couple’s plans will defer to the wishes of Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother, who could potentially join them in the United Kingdom, though details have yet to be finalized.

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan are awaiting a decision on whether they will once again be granted publicly funded police protection in the United Kingdom. As reported by The Telegraph, the prince fears the assessment may be delayed after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered a review of security measures for the royal family and other public figures.