Harry and Meghan make first joint UK appearance since return
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Prince Harry and Meghan visited three Nottingham charities on their first joint outing since returning to the UK.
The trip comes as King Charles's letter restates they are non-working royals.
Background
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, 42, is the son of King Charles III; he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 45, stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. They announced this summer they would resettle in the UK and landed in August ahead of the school year. Nottingham is where they made their first joint appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017. The couple remain in a public row with Buckingham Palace about their status and their lack of publicly funded police protection.
How it unfolded
- Oct 15, 2026Harry and Meghan make their first joint public appearance since returning to the UK, visiting three charities in Nottingham: the Community Recording Studio, Himmah food bank and Epic Partners.
- Oct 15, 2026Crowds give the couple balloons and flowers; they stop to greet well-wishers, pose for selfies and receive cheers, especially from schoolchildren.
- Oct 16, 2026Police are reported to have been forced to intervene during the couple's first official outing.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- King Charles III, in a letter sent on his behalf to senior government and military officials, said Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the royal family, will keep refraining from using the HRH forms of address, and that their charity work is a personal matter undertaken in their private capacity.
- Analysts
- NBC News royal contributor Emily Nash called the visit almost a full circle moment because it looks very much like a royal engagement.
- Caution
- Hugo Vickers, author of a personal history of Queen Elizabeth II, said the couple's exit and Oprah interview added strain during the late monarch's final years.
- Party
- A spokesperson for the couple told NBC News they were surprised by King Charles's letter, though they accepted non-working status when they left Britain.
Still unverified
The letter from King Charles is said to have caught the Sussexes off guard.