Prince Harry and his wife Meghan appeared together in public on Thursday for the first time since their surprise return to Britain. They visited Nottingham in central England, the city where they carried out their first joint official engagement nine years ago.
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and Meghan moved from California to England two months ago with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. They had last visited Nottingham in 2017, shortly after their wedding was announced, so the trip marked a return to the place where their public life together began.
Charity visits in Nottingham on Thursday
The couple first visited a recording studio run by a youth and community charity. That charity has received support from a donation of £1.1 million ($1.46 million) that Harry announced last year.
They were then due to visit Himmah, a group that tackles food poverty. Meghan donated £10,000 to Himmah from sales of a cookbook released to raise funds in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. The engagements were to end with a visit to another charity the couple have backed, which supports young people and is linked to their 2017 visit.
Crowds and mixed public opinion on the couple
Thursday’s visit was far quieter than their 2017 trip, when large flag-waving crowds cheered them. This time the couple chatted with about 100 excited schoolchildren and well-wishers, while a large number of journalists followed them.
Meghan looked emotional when one woman handed her a large bouquet of flowers and gave her a hug. Another well-wisher told her, “We just wanted to support you.”
Harry and Meghan have become deeply polarising figures since they stepped down from royal duties and moved to California in 2020. They have also delivered scathing criticism of the prince’s family and the royal institution itself. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons hold a negative view of them, although young people are far more sympathetic.
Security concerns shape their return to Britain
On his first solo public appearance since the move, Harry said it was “good to be back on British soil”. The return has not been without difficulties, however. The couple have kept the location of their new home private amid security concerns, and they are not living in a royal residence.
The couple also had to move their children to a new school shortly after term had started, because of security concerns. Their spokesperson condemned the actions of “certain European paparazzi” who had intruded on their privacy.
