Prince Harry and Meghan Markle carried out their first official outing in the UK on Thursday, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it went. A sceptic at first, when I initially heard that the Sussexes were essentially relaunching their royal careers, without actually admitting it, I wasn't sure it was the right move. It seemed pretty obvious that their decision to travel to Nottingham was all about PR. After all, it served as the backdrop for their first-ever joint engagement after Harry popped the question in 2017. Why wouldn't they want to hit reset with a nostalgia-filled trip to a city that welcomed them so warmly?
A Newfound Respect
From the outside looking in, the notion that Harry and Meghan were attempting to wipe the slate clean and resume some semblance of their former life, without taking accountability for the upset they'd caused to both the Royal Family and the British public, didn't sit well with me. But actually seeing them out and about in public again, I couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for them.
There's no doubt about it, Meghan and Harry have faced their fair share of scrutiny, and they know that they're not exactly popular in the UK right now, so I can't help but admire the courage it must take to show up anyway. And beyond everything, what really impressed me was how sincerely excited they seemed when meeting with supporters who had travelled to Nottingham to see them.
Emotional Reception
Both Harry and Meghan appeared very emotional, and the Duchess reportedly became tearful when chatting with members of the public. Speaking with the Express, Ria Miller, who was in the crowd, said, "I did speak to her. And I said, We're proud of you. We support you. She had water in her eyes. It was a beautiful reception. [I am] very proud of Nottingham today."
For me, seeing Meghan and Harry actually embrace a royal-style engagement, and one that didn't draw particularly large crowds, with so much gratitude, was nice to see. It felt like after all the backlash, they could finally take a breath and relax. Meghan even declared, "It's nice to be back".
The Security Dilemma
The problem, however, is that if Meghan and Harry wish to continue on this path of non-royal engagements, it could undermine their argument for taxpayer-funded security. Several journalists and correspondents are already pointing this out. After all, if they're willingly putting themselves back in the spotlight with crowd-drawing visits - which they're not required to do - then they can't feel that unsafe in the UK.
Right now, Meghan and Harry are sending mixed signals, and it could cost them. If they want to be "public citizens" who regularly attend high-profile events, then they need to appreciate that Brits - who are already struggling in a cost of living crisis - won't be prepared to pay for their security. The argument is that no one is asking them to put themselves on a public platform again, so if they want to make that decision, they should be prepared to pay for it. It's too much of a slap in the face to see Meghan out and about in designer outfits that cost more than the average person's monthly earnings, when it's Brits who may end up funding their protection.
Unless Meghan and Harry become working royals again, they need to understand that the public won't want to pay for their security as public citizens. Sure, I enjoyed seeing them out in Nottingham, and I felt they did a good job, but if they want to be unofficial working royals (without the label), they're quite literally putting the nail in the coffin of the RAVEC security review.
