Harry and Meghan’s Nottingham return raises a familiar question

Tea, Titles & Tiaras

Harry and Meghan’s visit to Nottingham last week left me wondering what, exactly, their version of life outside the monarchy is supposed to look like.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the Community Recording Studio and the Himmah Hub before finishing their day at youth charity Epic Partners. They were there in a private capacity, rather than representing the King, although the reception looked remarkably familiar to anyone who remembers their time as working royals.

Look, I don’t care where Harry and Meghan choose to live or what they do with their time. I don’t buy into the suggestion that Meghan ruined Harry’s life, either. He is an adult who has made his own decisions and treating him as though he had no say in any of them is ridiculous.

What I do care about is the monarchy. I have a deep respect for the institution and what it means to people across Britain and the Commonwealth, which is why I find the Sussexes’ approach increasingly difficult to understand.

Watching their Nottingham appearance, I couldn’t help thinking it looked like a Royal Walkabout, complete with waiting wellwishers and cameras recording the greetings. The city was also the setting for their first joint public visit after announcing their engagement in 2017, so the resemblance to their royal beginnings was hard to miss.

There were reports of staff encouraging people to cheer, too. Coverage of a HELLO! reporter’s account described a staff member asking the crowd to give the couple a big cheer. That does not prove Harry and Meghan requested it, or that the people waiting weren’t pleased to see them, but it certainly adds to the impression of a managed reception.

Before getting too caught up in the Sussex spectacle, though, the organisations they visited deserve some attention.

Harry’s involvement with Nottingham’s youth organisations dates back to 2013. At Himmah, Meghan reunited with women from the Hubb Community Kitchen who contributed to Together: Our Community Cookbook, which she championed following the Grenfell Tower fire. These are established relationships, and there was a reason for the couple to be there beyond posing for photographs.

My issue is with how the day was presented and the questions it raises about the public role they now want.

It reminded me of the arrangement they initially sought in 2020, combining greater independence with a continuing role supporting the monarchy. The settlement announced after the Sandringham discussions instead required them to step back from royal duties and stop formally representing Queen Elizabeth.

The Palace also made clear that they could maintain private patronages and associations with the Queen’s blessing. It would therefore be wrong to suggest she prohibited them from visiting charities or appearing in public.

Of course they can continue charitable work. I would hope they do.

What I find strange is watching them use such a familiar royal format after everything that has happened since their departure. For all intents and purposes, the photographs could have come from an official engagement, even though they were not there on behalf of the institution.

It makes me wonder whether we are watching an attempt to establish their own version of the arrangement they wanted six years ago. That is how it looked to me, rather than evidence that anyone at the Palace has agreed to their return.

I also don’t think wanting privacy means a person can never make a public appearance. They are entitled to protect their children’s lives while supporting a cause in front of the cameras.

Nevertheless, the Sussexes have spent years explaining why royal life did not work for them. Seeing them return to something that looks so similar, while operating independently, leaves me wondering which parts they wanted to leave behind.

The charities received attention, and that is a worthwhile outcome. I’m still finding the Sussexes’ public identity much harder to follow.

Harry explains the move home

Harry has now offered his own explanation for bringing his family back to Britain, speaking to GQ’s Zach Baron in an interview filmed in New York in September.

He said opportunities for his children and being closer to family helped motivate the move. He also described spending time with friends and their children as Archie and Lilibet settled in, explaining that the decision had been considered but was not planned far in advance.

The interview also addressed the family rift, with Harry saying: “The most important thing is to reconcile.” He spoke about wanting to resolve the conflict and move beyond past grievances, while acknowledging that emotional scars remain.

I can understand wanting your children to know the country you grew up in, particularly when so much of their family history is there. Whatever I think of the Nottingham appearance, it would be nice to see the fab 4 reunited at a royal walkabout one day in the future.

What I find harder to understand is how another public interview helps that process. Reconciliation requires other people to feel ready, too, and none of us knows what conversations are happening away from the cameras.

I hope his wish to reconnect leads somewhere. I’m just not convinced the rest of us need a running commentary while they work out whether it can.

Royals welcome the Sultan of Oman

William and Kate joined King Charles and Queen Camilla to welcome Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman to Windsor on Tuesday, as his state visit got underway.

William first met the Sultan at his London residence on the King’s behalf and accompanied him to Windsor. Catherine joined Charles and Camilla for the ceremonial welcome before a carriage procession through the town and a military reception at Windsor Castle.

Kate wore a green Alexander McQueen coatdress with a matching hat, adding the Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch previously worn by Princess Diana. I always enjoy seeing a familiar piece of royal jewellery make another appearance, particularly one with that family connection.

The evening brought the tiaras out at Windsor Castle, where Catherine wore the pearl and diamond Lover’s Knot tiara with a yellow cape gown. The tiara was a favourite of Diana’s and has become a familiar choice for Catherine at formal royal occasions.

Camilla chose the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, so closely associated with Queen Elizabeth, pairing it with a royal blue gown. Between Catherine’s pearls and Camilla’s diamonds, there was plenty for those of us who enjoy inspecting the banquet photographs.

The visit is the first state visit to Britain by a Sultan of Oman since 1982. Charles visited Oman several times as Prince of Wales, and this week’s welcome continued a royal relationship stretching back decades.

Charles gets a noisy reception in Wales

Last Thursday’s visit to Wales was a reminder that the royal reception isn’t always an enthusiastic one.

Charles and Camilla attended the ceremonial opening of the Senedd, where protesters could be heard chanting “not my King” as the couple arrived. Inside, Charles addressed members of the Welsh Parliament, speaking about his longstanding connection with Wales and delivering part of his remarks in Welsh.

Having spent so much of his life as Prince of Wales, Charles has an association with the country that predates his reign by decades. His speech acknowledged that history while addressing the work of the parliament.

People are entitled to oppose the monarchy and to protest peacefully. The King, meanwhile, still has a job to do, including on days when some of those waiting outside would prefer he wasn’t there.

It is a less glamorous part of royal life than a banquet, but turning up and carrying out the engagement comes with the role.

William and Kate take their research outdoors

William and Kate were also in Cornwall last Thursday, visiting Nansledan together as Catherine launched a new research initiative exploring how nature can support young children’s development. Their visit was revealed the following day.

The project brings her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood together with William’s Duchy of Cornwall, marking Catherine’s first direct collaboration with the estate.

Catherine has asked the Centre to explore how access to nature can support children’s social and emotional development, as well as the wellbeing of those caring for them. The aim is to use the research to help make beneficial outdoor experiences more accessible to families.

New photographs taken by Josh Shinner showed Kate in Cornish woodland, accompanied by a video explaining the work. The announcement builds on the Centre she launched in 2021 and her continuing interest in the role nature plays in wellbeing.

The photographs were lovely, but I’m interested in what the partnership with the Duchy might produce. Bringing Catherine’s early years work together with William’s estate gives them an opportunity to connect their responsibilities in a practical way.

I’m also interested in how that translates into everyday life. Most families already recognise the value of getting children outside; having accessible places to take them can be another matter.

There is plenty of scope for work that helps close that gap, and I’ll be watching where this project goes.

Queen Mary brings out the sapphires

Over in Denmark, Queen Mary has supplied the jewellery news with a reimagined historic tiara.

At the state banquet honouring Vietnam’s President Tô Lâm, Mary wore Queen Alexandrine’s Sapphire Tiara in its redesigned form. Its history dates back to an 1898 gift from Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra, with Mary helping develop its latest design.

The redesign allows the jewel to be worn in different ways. For the banquet, Mary chose a bandeau arrangement and wore another section as a bracelet.

I do like seeing an heirloom adapted so it continues to be worn. Most of us might reset an inherited ring; Mary has a rather more impressive jewellery box to work with.

The banquet was also a milestone for Crown Prince Christian, who attended his first state banquet shortly after turning 21. It was another step into the public responsibilities awaiting Denmark’s future king.

For those of us who remember Mary leaving hospital with her first baby, it doesn’t feel like 21 years ago that happened. Her eldest is now attending state occasions alongside his parents, while his Australian born mother continues to look thoroughly at home as Queen.

Until next time, keep the kettle warm.