Harry and Meghan make first joint appearance since returning to the UK

Hannah McKay/Reuters

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made their first joint public appearance in Britain since moving back to the country.

Prince Harry and Meghan smiled for the cameras as they arrived together at the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham on Thursday morning. A small crowd gathered for their arrival, with supporters holding flowers and balloons, the UK’s PA Media news agency reported.

In a surprise announcement this summer, the couple revealed that they would be leaving their home in California to resettle in the UK, together with their two children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. The family landed in August, ahead of the start of the school year last month. They returned as private citizens and are not resuming any official duties on behalf of King Charles III.

The engagement comes more than six years after the couple departed the United Kingdom for the United States and the years since have seen a public falling out with some members of the royal family.

Harry and Meghan had cited tabloid intrusion, racism in British institutions, online abuse and complex family dynamics as among the reasons behind their 2020 departure.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

On Thursday, they arrived in the East Midlands city to meet with a host of community groups. The first stop on their tight schedule was at the CRS, a charity that teaches film, video and music skills to young people.

This is not the duke’s first time at CRS. He visited the studio in September last year and announced a personal donation of £1.1 million ($1.45 million) to Children in Need to assist the charity’s work tackling violence affecting young people.

Harry and Meghan’s visit is not an official royal engagement.

Last month, Harry’s father, King Charles, issued a letter in which he clarified that the couple should be treated as “private citizens.” The missive is said to have caught the Sussexes off guard.

According to the letter, sent by the UK’s Lord Chamberlain – the most senior officer of the British royal household – all charitable work carried out by Harry and Meghan is a “personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity.”

The letter also made clear that any operational issues involving them should be directed to the relevant police authorities. Harry has continued to push for the UK Home Office to reinstate his family’s taxpayer-funded security, which was downgraded when the family left for North America in 2020.

The last time the Sussexes appeared together in public in Britain was four years ago, at the funeral of Harry’s grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.

While living in the US, Harry made several trips back to the UK, including for the funeral of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and the coronation of his father King Charles III the following year.

CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Max Foster contributed reporting.

汉娜·麦凯/路透社

自搬回英国以来，苏塞克斯公爵和公爵夫人首次共同公开露面。

周四上午，哈里王子和梅根一同抵达诺丁汉社区录音室（CRS），面对镜头面带微笑。据英国PA通讯社报道，一小群人聚集在现场迎接他们，支持者们手捧鲜花和气球。

今年夏天，这对夫妇出人意料地宣布，他们将带着7岁的阿奇王子和5岁的莉莉贝特公主离开位于加利福尼亚的家，移居英国。一家人于8月抵达英国，赶在上个月新学年开始之前。他们以普通公民的身份返回英国，不再代表查理三世国王履行任何官方职责。

这对情侣离开英国前往美国已经六年多了，而自那以后，他们与一些王室成员公开决裂。

哈里和梅根曾将小报的侵扰、英国机构中的种族主义、网络暴力和复杂的家庭关系列为他们 2020 年离开英国的原因之一。

克里斯托弗·弗隆/盖蒂图片社

周四，他们抵达东米德兰兹郡的这座城市，与众多社区团体会面。他们紧凑行程的第一站是CRS，这是一个为年轻人教授电影、视频和音乐技能的慈善机构。

这并非公爵第一次到访CRS。他去年9月曾到访该工作室，并宣布向“儿童需要”（Children in Need）慈善机构捐赠110万英镑（145万美元），以支持该机构开展打击影响青少年的暴力行为的工作。

哈里和梅根的访问并非正式的王室公务。

上个月，哈里的父亲查尔斯国王发表了一封信，澄清这对夫妇应被视为“普通公民”。据说这封信让苏塞克斯夫妇措手不及。

根据英国宫务大臣（英国王室最高官员）发出的信函，哈里和梅根所做的所有慈善工作都是“他们二人的个人事务，是以他们的私人身份进行的”。

信中还明确指出，任何涉及他们的行动问题都应直接向相关警方部门咨询。哈里一直敦促英国内政部恢复其家人由纳税人资助的安保服务，该服务在2020年哈里一家移居北美后被降级。

苏塞克斯夫妇上次在英国公开露面还是四年前，2022年9月，当时他们出席了哈里王子祖母、已故女王伊丽莎白二世的葬礼。

哈里在美国生活期间，曾多次返回英国，包括 2022 年参加祖母伊丽莎白二世女王的葬礼，以及次年参加父亲查尔斯三世国王的加冕礼。

CNN的Lauren Said-Moorhouse和Max Foster对此报道亦有贡献。