Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will do "what they want, when they want" now that they have returned to the UK as "public figures", according to a close friend.
On Thursday, the Sussexes carried out their first joint engagement in Nottingham since their return to the UK, and sources indicated there will be more of these quasi-royal engagements.
Return to public life
Two months after their return, there appeared to be confusion surrounding the Duke and Duchess's plans. However, the trip to Nottingham made their intentions clear.
A friend of Harry and Meghan said this marks a return to what they had always wanted to do, despite the lack of their royal status. The close friend told news.com.au: "There is no confusion – on their part – about why they’re doing these sorts of engagements.
"It’s very simple. They are doing what they want, when they want, how they want. They aren’t taxpayer funded like others, so why shouldn’t they live their lives the way choose?
"Some people get very angry at the idea that they should dare continue to show up and support causes they have been associated with for years, like it is in some way a bad thing to bring a spotlight to a community recording studio or a food bank Nottingham. I don’t get the outrage. They’re fundamentally good people doing good work when they can for good causes".
Warm welcome and defiance
The couple were given a warm welcome in the midlands city, which would have been a huge relief given the recent reception Harry received at a rugby match, as crowds booed when the camera panned to the duke.
The friend added, although these engagements are fundamentally what the pair wish to do, there is also a slight hint of defiance in such trips, following the King's letter that reinforced Harry and Meghan's status as "private individuals".
Although the Sussexes have previously denied reading comments and social media, the source bluntly noted how the couple do have access to the internet and returned to the UK with an awareness that the reception could be hostile.
The source said: "They have the internet in California. In the same way they can read headlines in the US every day from their new home, they had access to the UK papers when they were living in Montecito. They knew what the temperature here was going to be."
Future engagements
The success of the Nottingham visit is likely to encourage the pair to carry out more royal-esque engagements across the UK, with Meghan telling crowds it's "great to be back".
The visit mirrored the similar style of engagements the pair carried out in Australia earlier in the year, with their friend adding they will "press on unapologetically" despite backlash surrounding this "half-in, half-out royal" approach.
