The Duchess of Sussex is “reading a lot of scripts”, and will focus on her family, lifestyle brand and rebooting her acting career, rather than pseudo-royal visits, during her new life in the UK.
Meghan, who is preparing to undertake her first joint engagements with the Duke of Sussex since they moved back from the US, has “different professional priorities” to Harry, a source told The Telegraph.
Public appearances will be “relatively rare” for Meghan, who will carry out an away day to Nottingham with the duke on Thursday.
Harry and Meghan will carry out a visit to Nottingham on Thursday (Jonathan Brady/PA)
PA Wire
It marks the first time in four years that Meghan has appeared publicly at events in the UK – the last time being the late Queen’s funeral in 2022.
The source told the newspaper of the couple’s varying priorities: “Prince Harry’s is his philanthropic work and public service.
“Her focus is on her family and children, followed by her business, followed by rebooting her acting career.
“Her public appearances will be relatively rare. She is reading a lot of scripts at the moment.”
Meghan with the royal family at the late Queen’s funeral (Peter Byrne/PA)
PA Archive
They added that if Meghan had time left, she would do “some charity work”, adding “she’s not a working royal” but a full-time mother and entrepreneur.
Rumours had abounded as to how former Suits star Meghan would spend her time, with speculation she was in talks for a role in the hit Netflix show The Gentlemen.
Harry and Meghan will make three appearances in Nottingham – the city where they carried out their first joint official visit after getting engaged in 2017.
The couple, who settled back in England in August after quitting the working monarchy and moving to the US six years ago, will spend time at the Community Recording Studio (CRS), the food poverty community action group Himmah Hub, and Epic Partners, which supports young people through sports programmes and mentoring.
Harry and Meghan during a visit to Nottingham in 2017 (Victoria Jones/PA)
PA Archive
Although the high-profile events are not official royal engagements – with a letter to Government stakeholders authorised by the King last month clarifying the Sussexes remain “private citizens” – they are likely to bear all the hallmarks of such.
The duke and duchess are said to consider themselves “public figures” and were caught off-guard by the letter outlining their position.
They are waiting to hear whether they will be granted taxpayer-funded security, with Harry said to fear a delay after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a review of security measures for the royal family and public figures in the wake of the death of Reform UK’s justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe.
The Sussexes pulled their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lili, out of their first British school in September after just two days, when heavy traffic in the area meant their private security team struggled to stay in a convoy during the school run.
Their team then criticised the “extraordinarily reckless” international paparazzi who were spotted looking into the grounds and monitoring children at the youngsters’ new school.