Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived in Nottingham on Thursday for their first joint public engagement since moving back to Britain, returning to the city where they made their first official appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex greeted well-wishers and schoolchildren outside the Community Recording Studio, the first stop in a day of charity visits. “It’s great to be back,” Meghan told one person in the crowd, People reported.
The outing follows the family’s return to the UK in August with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Its format recalls the couple’s earlier royal visits, but their position is different: they are appearing as public figures supporting community projects, not carrying out duties as working members of the royal family.
Outside the studio, Harry asked children about their favourite subjects and their school holidays, while the couple stopped for handshakes and photographs. The BBC’s live coverage confirmed their arrival and reported that supporters had gathered ahead of the visit.
The Community Recording Studio, known as CRS, was established in 1991 to give young people access to music and recording facilities. Its work has since expanded to creative activities, sport, mentoring and youth development. Harry first visited in 2013 and returned last year.
At the studio, Harry met Nottingham musician and youth mentor Jah Digga, who attended CRS as a child. Meghan joined a confidence-building bracelet-making workshop for girls, and the couple observed an acting workshop led by André Squire, People reported.
CRS chief executive Trevor Rose told the BBC that the couple’s support had encouraged young people to pursue their ambitions. Harry’s £1.1 million donation to BBC Children in Need, announced during last year’s Nottingham visit, is supporting work involving CRS and local youth charity Epic Partners.
The remaining itinerary includes Himmah, which tackles poverty, food insecurity, racism and social exclusion, and Epic Partners, which works with children and families. The Nottingham Post reported that the Himmah programme includes a visit to its hub and foodbank.
The BBC reported that King Charles’s royal household regards the couple as private citizens without official status. That distinction matters even as the crowds, charitable itinerary and walkabout resemble the public engagements they undertook before leaving royal duties.
For Nottingham, the connection predates that change. Meghan’s first official royal outing with Harry took place here on December 1, 2017, four days after their engagement announcement. Thursday’s return brings the couple back to those community relationships nearly nine years later.
