LONDON — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, were making their first royal-style public appearance together Thursday since they returned to the United Kingdom with their two children.
Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, were visiting three charities in Nottingham, as they look to rebuild their image in Britain six years after walking away from royal life.
Nottingham, a city in central England known as the setting for the famous “Robin Hood” legend, holds a special place in the couple’s history as the place where they made their first joint public appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017.
“It’s almost a full-circle moment because it looks very much like a royal engagement,” NBC News royal contributor Emily Nash said.
The events Thursday began with a visit to the Community Recording Studio, a youth and community charity in Nottingham that Harry has visited before, including just last year. They were greeted by a cheering crowd, filled largely with young children.
Harry and Meghan, who wore a long burgundy coat, stopped to take selfies, give hugs and shake hands. They also spent a few minutes talking to members of the public and the children.
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The couple were also due to visit the region’s biggest food bank, Himmah, and Epic Partners, which offers disadvantaged young people mentoring programs, sports and education.
Noting that the couple will be visiting a charity Harry has a “long history with,” Nash said they were certain to “get a warm reception” given their “long connection with it.”
But they have not always received such a warm welcome since their return to the U.K. with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
The couple remain locked in a public row with Buckingham Palace about their status and their lack of publicly funded police protection.
A letter sent on behalf of King Charles III to senior government and military officials confirmed Harry and Meghan remain nonworking members of the royal family. A spokesperson for the couple told NBC News they were “surprised” by the letter, though they accepted that status when they left Britain for a quieter life in Montecito, California, an affluent coastal enclave in Santa Barbara.
Their relationship with the royal family has been strained in the years since, with the couple leveling explosive allegations of racism and bullying in their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and in Harry’s memoir, “Spare.”
News of their return to the U.K. sent shock waves through the British media, and the couple have faced other complications as they settle back into British life.
“It was a bit of a bumpy road for Harry and Meghan,” Nash said. “They had to move their children from their school after just two days, but I’m told they’re settling in well now and Archie and Lili are very happy at their new school.”
The couple’s royal-style visit to Nottingham will renew questions about their security.
With or without it, Nash said, “this is them dipping their toe back in the water” and “nothing’s stopping them.”
“They don’t need the palace’s permission to do this,” she said.
