LONDON — Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made their first public appearance together in royal style on Thursday after returning to the UK with their two children.
Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, are visiting three charities in Nottingham as they look to rebuild their image in the UK after six years away from royal life.
Nottingham, a city in central England known as the site of the famous “Robin Hood” legend, holds a special place in the couple’s history as they made their first public appearance together after announcing their engagement in 2017.
“It’s almost a full-circle moment because it looks so much like a royal engagement,” said NBC News royals contributor Emily Nash.
Thursday’s event began with a visit to Community Studio, a youth and community charity in Nottingham that Harry has visited before, including last year. They will also visit Himmah, the region’s largest food bank, and Epic Partners, which provides mentoring programmes, sport and education to disadvantaged young people.
Nash noted that the couple will be visiting a charity that has a “long history” with Harry, and said they are sure to receive a “warm reception” given their “longstanding association with the institution.”
But since returning to the UK with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, they haven’t always received such a warm welcome.
The couple remain in a public row with Buckingham Palace over their status and lack of publicly funded police protection.
A letter sent to senior government and military officials on behalf of King Charles III confirmed that Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the royal family. A spokesman for the couple told NBC News they were “surprised” by the letter, but accepted the status when they left the UK for a quieter life in Montecito, a wealthy coastal enclave in Santa Barbara.
Their relationship with the royal family has been strained in the years since, with the couple making explosive accusations of racism and bullying in the Netflix documentary “Harry and Meghan” and Harry’s memoir “Spare.”
News of their return to the UK caused an uproar in the British media, and the couple faced other complications as they reintegrated into British life.
“It’s been a rocky road for Harry and Meghan,” Nash said. “They had to take the children out of school after just two days but I hear they are settling in very well now and Archie and Lily are very happy at their new school.”
The couple’s royal visit to Nottingham will once again raise questions about their safety.
With or without it, Nash said, “this is them dipping their toe back into the water” and “nothing can stop them.”
“They don’t need permission from the palace to do this,” she said.