Prince Harry, Meghan Markle cheered at first official outing since UK return

Theresa Braine, New York Daily News on Oct 15, 2026

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drew cheers Thursday during their first official outing together since returning to the U.K., coming full circle to Nottingham, where she debuted as his fiancée in 2017.

“It’s great to be back,” Markle told one member of the crowd as she and Harry doled out hugs and handshakes, chatting with well-wishers before heading into the Community Recording Studio. The charity was founded in 1991 to teach local youth skills in film, music and video. It also gives them access to professional equipment and contacts in the industry, according to its website.

Markle’s first-time presence was a huge boost, especially for the young women who work with the center, CRS co-founder and CEO Trevor Rose told People.

“To say to them that she’s coming here to meet you — they were speechless,” Rose told the outlet. “I’ve seen a few tears in people’s eyes.”

Stop number two was the Himmah Hub, an organization that address food poverty, racism and inequality. There, Markle reunited with women from the Hubb Community Kitchen whom she had made a cookbook with in 2018 as a working royal. The book drew $28,000 in proceeds to the charity in 2021, according to Town & Country.

Their third and final charity visit was to Epic Partners, a community organization that provides mentoring, education, sports and other support to local youth.

The duchess’ fashion choices spoke worlds, according to royal experts. She was swathed in British-brands in this fall’s trendiest hues, arriving in an oversized burgundy coat by luxury brand Joseph, with matching turtleneck, earrings and handbag. Markle’s skirt was from The Fold, her belt from Marks and Spencer, and her coordinating pumps were Jennifer Chamandi, according to Harper’s Bazaar. The ensemble included a likely nod to her attire in 2017, when she wore a Joseph skirt.

“It’s her way of saying she’s back and she’s committed to the U.K.,” former royal butler Grant Harrold told InStyle. “No royal fashion decisions are ever an accident. I think this is a nice nod back to the beginning of her royal journey, which I believe she’s selected to symbolize a fresh start.”

Markle and Prince Harry made that fresh start upon moving back to the U.K. after six years living abroad, most of them in California, following their exit from official royal duties in 2020. Their public disclosures of family conflict and feelings of isolation caused a rift between Harry and the rest of his family, most notably his brother, Prince William, and sister-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales.

That estrangement is ongoing, and it apparently extends to much of the public. Recent survey results from a respected British polling firm showed the Sussexes to be among the least popular of the top tier of the royal family. Harry was at number 10, with 29% of participants responding favorably, and Markle at number 13, with a 22% popularity rating. Subtracting “dislikes” from those percentages put Harry at minus-12 and Markle at minus-27.

“She knows she needs to win back over the British public, and supporting local fashion houses and designers is an easy starting point,” Harrold told Marie Claire.

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