The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing to make their first joint public appearance on British soil in four years, as they head to Nottingham for a series of engagements.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit three organisations across the city on Thursday, meeting young people and community groups as part of a day centred on youth support, food poverty and mentoring.
Return to England
The couple returned to England in August, six years after stepping away from their roles as senior working royals and relocating to the US in what became widely known as Megxit. Their latest trip will take them to the Community Recording Studio (CRS), the Himmah Hub and Epic Partners, an organisation which supports children, young people and families through sports programmes, mentoring and education.
While the high-profile visits are not official royal engagements, they are anticipated to follow a broadly similar format to traditional royal appearances. A letter sent to Government stakeholders and authorised by King Charles last month made clear that Harry and Meghan remain private citizens.
Private citizens
The letter is reported to have taken the couple by surprise, with the Sussexes said to consider themselves public figures. Thursday's visit will also mark Meghan's first public appearance at an event on UK soil since the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
Harry and Meghan undertook their final official joint royal duty in March 2020, when they attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey alongside members of the Royal Family. Nevertheless, the duchess is anticipated to make such public outings comparatively infrequently as she focuses on her family, her As Ever lifestyle brand and a potential return to the screen.
Different professional focuses
A source revealed the pair had differing professional focuses, with Harry concentrating on charitable endeavours and public service, while Meghan's priorities lay with their children and her commercial ventures.
The source said: "Prince Harry's is his philanthropic work and public service. Her focus is on her family and children, followed by her business, followed by rebooting her acting career."
"Her public appearances will be relatively rare. She is reading a lot of scripts at the moment."
They went on to say that any spare time Meghan possessed would be dedicated to charitable activities, characterising her as a full-time mum and businesswoman rather than a working royal. Conjecture has circulated regarding how the former Suits star would occupy her time in the UK, with reports indicating she had been in discussions about a part in the popular Netflix series The Gentlemen.
Nottingham visit details
However, a friend of Meghan told Hello! magazine that the duchess was prepared to "stick her head above the parapet" during the Nottingham visit.
The friend said: "She's up for it. There are still causes and there are still issues that Meghan is really passionate about supporting, and Nottingham is one of those."
During Thursday's visit, Harry and Meghan will spend time at CRS, a youth and community charity in St Ann's. The duke is due to meet musician and poet Jah Digga, who attended the studio as a child, while Meghan will join young girls for a confidence-building session and a bracelet-making workshop.
Harry previously visited CRS in September last year, when he personally donated £1.1 million to BBC Children In Need to support young people affected by violence. The couple will also visit Himmah Hub, where they are expected to take part in a cooking class and help pack food parcels for donations.
The visit will see Meghan reunite with women from the Hubb Community Kitchen, which she championed during her time as a working royal. In 2018, her debut solo project as a member of the Royal Family centred on supporting a cookbook produced by the women behind the community kitchen.
The group had originally come together to assist families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in west London.
Their final destination will be Epic Partners, an organisation supporting children, young people and families in the St Ann's and Sneinton areas through youth work, sport, mentoring and education. The Nottingham engagements follow a number of other UK appearances by Harry, including his attendance at the annual WellChild Awards last month.
Meanwhile, the Sussexes are awaiting a ruling on whether they will be granted taxpayer-funded security during visits to the UK. Harry is said to be worried about a possible postponement after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood revealed an examination of security provisions for the Royal Family and public figures in the wake of Reform UK's justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe's death.
