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It had to happen eventually. Less than two months after arriving back in the UK for an extended stay, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will step out for their first joint public engagement.
The couple – who initially lay low after arriving back on British soil – have made the huge call to amp up their public presence, after reportedly taking issue with King Charles’ description of them as “private citizens” rather than “public figures”.
While the duo had been quietly ratcheting up their visibility after getting their two children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, enrolled in a local school, a big public reveal is almost upon us.
On October 15 the Sussexes will step out for a royal-style engagement in the UK city of Nottingham.
First the couple will visit the Community Recording Studio to watch an acting workshop, before joining members of the Hubb Community Kitchen at the Himmah food bank – a cause for which Meghan has longtime shown support.
“Nottingham is a really special place for them,” a friend told the Sunday Times, “and they are looking forward to getting back out there into the community, together.”
Indeed, Nottingham holds fond memories for both Harry and Meghan – it was where the duo first stepped out as an engaged couple back in December 2017.
Writing on The Royalist substack, royal expert Tom Sykes suggested that Harry and Meghan’s latest joint outing was a signal of intent.
“When the King had the Lord Chamberlain remind everyone that the Sussexes are not working royals (indeed that they are ‘akin’ to private citizens), their office professed itself ‘surprised’ and let it be known that it would rather they were described as … public figures,” the expert wrote.
“Thursday is the phrase made flesh: a program of engagements for the faux king and queen, cameras flashing.
“There is just one problem. The public, the people they seem to wish to be a figure to, have spent the past fortnight telling the Sussexes exactly what they think of them.”
Indeed, the public perception of Prince Harry was laid bare at a rugby match he attended on October 9.
The prince happily clutched a pint as he watched the Leicester Tigers play Gloucester. Except, there was a problem. As the camera panned to him in the crowd on one occasion, boos rang out.
It was a reception that didn’t go unnoticed by commentator Nick Mullins, who commented, “Some boos there” in his coverage, before moving swiftly on.
Sykes, meanwhile, declared that Harry would have found the reaction “painful”.
“Boos are the stuff of royal nightmares,” he explained.
“When the tabloids attack him, Harry can take them to court. When the Palace sends a chilly letter, he can blame the men in grey suits. The entire Sussex story depends on the idea that the press and the courtiers are the problem, and that the British people, deep down, are still on his side.
“The boos at Welford Road were the verdict of the people. This isn’t a media conspiracy. This isn’t the press. It mirrored a moment just under a year ago, when Harry and Meghan were booed at Dodger Stadium when their faces flashed up on the big screen. He has now been booed in the stands of his adopted home and in the stands of his real one.”
Entertainment journalist Rob Shuter echoed Sykes’ thoughts on his Naughty But Nice substack explaining that upon learning of the reaction, Harry’s humiliation “brought him to tears”.
“Harry didn’t hear the boos. He was enjoying the match and genuinely believed everyone was happy to see him,” a source told the outlet.
“It wasn’t until afterward that the reality hit. He was absolutely crushed.”
While Harry was reportedly upset at how his latest public foray was received, sources previously told Woman’s Day that Meghan is hoping a recent change in tack will pay dividends for her own public image.
“Meghan was advised a while ago to be less accessible because it creates more interest so that’s the strategy she’s leaning into,” the insider shared, explaining that previously Meghan had been “deliberately biding her time and staying out of sight intentionally”.
“When she does start stepping out more, the hope is that she’ll have built up enough anticipation that people will be excited to see her, rather than having her everywhere right away and the public getting sick of her,” the source added.
And there’s one person that Meghan is reportedly hoping to emulate: Kate, Princess of Wales.
“Meghan knows she and Kate are always going to be compared and she wants to prove she can make just as much of an impact, if not more,” the source said.
