Meghan Markle was described as "nauseating" by a local during her visit to Nottingham with Prince Harry this week. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were in the city on Friday for their first joint appearance since moving back to the UK from California in August.
The royal couple received a warm welcome from fans gathered to meet them at Himmah Hub food bank, Community Recording Studio and youth mentoring scheme, Epic Partners. Elsewhere in the city, opinion was divided over the Sussexes, who have seen their popularity nosedive since they stepped back as senior working royals.
Mixed reactions from locals
One local shared a dim view of Meghan with the Daily Express's Royals Unscripted podcast. He said: "I find her nauseating, I do. I think there's a sense of entitlement about her." The passerby suggested neither Harry nor Meghan was very popular anymore.
He suggested that by leaving the UK for the US, Harry and Meghan made a rod for their own backs, adding: "Then tipping up back here... after what's been said, I don't think they're particularly welcome to be honest."
A woman told the show she was unsure about Harry and Meghan because of how they conducted themselves after stepping back from royal duties. She suggested the Sussexes should have kept revelations private rather than going public with allegations. In the immediate aftermath of their exit from royal life, the pair alleged a royal had asked about the colour of their then-unborn son's skin, raising questions about racism in the Royal Family, which Prince William later denied.
Supporters and warm welcomes
The same woman suggested Harry and Meghan should apologise properly and that they haven't done enough to atone for the accusations they levelled against their family. She added, "It's a shame because brothers, family, should not fall out."
While Harry and Meghan were criticised by some locals who spoke to the podcast in Nottingham city centre, others spoke in their favour. One man described Harry as a "man of the people". Others hailed the Sussexes' visit, with two women in the crowd of well-wishers assembled to meet them giving Meghan a huge hug as she arrived. One told the Duchess before posing for a selfie with her outside the Community Recording Studio's premises: "You're lovely."
The day had echoes of royal style, including an announcement that features the couple's Sussex titles and a prearranged media pool chronicling their movements. King Charles has, however, made clear the couple remain non-working members of the Royal Family, a status they accepted when they abandoned royal duties and moved to California.
Visit highlights
Harry and Meghan began their day in the city with Meghan declaring, "It's great to be back", as they greeted fans outside the Community Recording Studio. Meghan kissed 90-year-old Irene Hardman on the cheek outside the studio and gave her a hug after she showed her a framed photograph of the Sussexes' 2017 visit to Nottingham – their first joint official public appearance after announcing their engagement.
The Duchess said: "Oh my gosh. How sweet is that? This was our very first walkabout", while Ms Hardman told her: "I remember you, my darling."
At the food poverty action charity Himmah Hub, the couple washed their hands and put on aprons to help chefs prepare a chicken tagine lunch, but first, Meghan made a beeline for the Grenfell cooks helping out in the kitchen. She walked past food demonstrations staged by charity volunteers saying: "I want to meet all of you, it smells amazing, but I have to go see my ladies first."
Meghan went into the kitchen and individually hugged Dayo Gilmour, Intlak Alsaiegh, Faiza Hayani Bellili and Leila Hedjem, and then there was a large group embrace. As they greeted each other, one woman said: "It's been too long." To which Meghan replied: "At least five years." A few minutes later, they were joined by Harry, who was also embraced by the women, as one said, "We've missed you so much."
Meghan wrote the foreword to Together, a collection of global dishes by women from the Grenfell community and others, published in 2018, which raised almost £800,000 to expand their culinary work at the Al-Manaar mosque in north Kensington.
The Duke and Duchess also toured a nearby foodbank and warehouse run by Himmah, which provides up to 1,500 bags of groceries to families in Nottingham every month. They helped volunteers pack the carrier bags with tinned vegetables and some sweet treats, but Harry quickly spotted what he claimed was a flaw in their system.
Harry said a packet of biscuits was among the first items collected, followed by a large number of tins, and he suggested "you don't want a bag full of crushed biscuits", before filling another carrier with the delicate treats on top. Meghan replied "top tip" with a smile.
They ended their day with Harry licking icing from his hand as he iced birthday cupcakes, but his wife, who shared cooking tips on her Netflix show, completed the icing task in a neat fashion.
