The key facts
- On 15 October 2026, Harry and Meghan visited three charities in Nottingham — Community Recording Studio, Himmah Hub and Epic Partners
- Nottingham was the site of their first joint outing after their engagement was announced in 2017
- Buckingham Palace considers the couple private individuals; Ravec is reviewing their level of police protection
First joint outing since the return
On 15 October 2026, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first official joint visit since returning to the UK in August after six years of living in California. The couple arrived in Nottingham, where they were greeted with applause; they chatted with the crowd, hugged, took selfies and accepted flowers. Meghan told one of those gathered 'we got lucky' while discussing the weather. According to the BBC, the couple also intend this to be their first public outing since the return — previously Meghan had only shared glimpses of life in the UK on social media. According to their spokesperson, the couple are 'delighted' to be together in Nottingham again nine years after their last joint visit.
The day's programme: three charities
The first stop was Community Recording Studio — a youth recording studio charity in the St Ann's district, which Prince Harry has supported since 2013. The couple watched a theatre workshop, listened to a studio recording and spoke with young people. The organisation's chief executive Trevor Rose told the BBC he learned of the visit only a few weeks in advance and was 'in complete shock' at how quickly it was all arranged. The couple then visited Himmah Hub, an organisation fighting food poverty: they observed cooking classes and, wearing chef's aprons, helped assemble food parcels. There Meghan and Harry hugged and held hands with the 'ladies' of Grenfell — women who cooked for families after the tower fire; Meghan called the meeting 'really, really meaningful'. The third stop was Epic Partners, which supports young people through sport, education and mentoring: there Meghan arranged cupcakes for a birthday. During a friendship bracelet workshop, Meghan said her daughter Princess Lilibet has taken up gymnastics: 'She loves it.' She also advised the girls to 'talk to yourself the way we talk to our best friends'.
'Private individuals' according to the palace, but a visit with royal scale
The couple visited the organisations not as working members of the royal family but as public figures and supporters of the projects. Nevertheless, Buckingham Palace stresses that it considers them private individuals: a letter from the Lord Chamberlain, published in September, states that after the couple's move 'a number of requests for clarification' about their position were received and that their status, 'distinct from the public and royal duties of working members of the family', with financial independence and privacy protection, 'will continue to be fully respected'. The King, according to euronews, has made clear that the couple should not be addressed as 'their royal highnesses'. BBC correspondent Daniela Relph notes that formally this was not a royal visit, but in format — with choreography, a shared media pool, crowds and walkabouts among the public — it largely resembled one, though without pomp, a line of officials and a noticeable police presence. The late Queen Elizabeth made clear even before her death in 2022 that a 'half-in/half-out' option was not on offer. According to euronews, the visit puts the couple at odds with the palace's position; relations with the King have been mended, but the couple remain estranged from Prince William.
Context of the return and future plans
The couple, with their children — seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet — returned to the UK in August 2026 after six years in the US. According to media reports, they have settled in the Cotswolds, and the children changed schools following security concerns about the school run. The Ravec committee, which oversees protection for royals and VIPs, is reviewing the level of police protection for the couple now that they and their children are permanent residents rather than guests. In Nottingham the couple had private security, and the local police were informed of the visit. According to the BBC, Ravec is reviewing the security question, and the couple will not travel to Sandringham to the King for Christmas — they will likely spend the holiday privately with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland. The couple's representatives stressed that each has their own interests: Meghan plans to launch a British version of her lifestyle brand As Ever, possibly before Christmas. The BBC correspondent notes that joint outings will not become regular but will happen from time to time. While the couple was in Nottingham, King Charles III was attending the ceremonial opening of the Senedd in Cardiff.
