There was something so very familiar about today.
The first time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nottingham together in 2017 they were plain old Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. They’d just announced they were getting married and it was in the East Midlands that an American actress would be hard launched as a working member of the Royal Family.
You could view today as the UK-relaunch of Meghan.
She’d not done anything like the day of events in Nottingham for several years on British soil. Those close to her told me she wasn’t nervous about how people would react to her and she wanted to get out there.
But the thing is, it felt like one in so many ways.
There was planned choreography for each event.
Harry and Meghan visited charities and met volunteers.
There was a shared media pool working together to distribute the best video and images.
There were crowds and walkabouts.
Buckingham Palace has made it very clear that they view the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as private citizens. Whatever they do is their own business – but it certainly won’t have royal status attached.
There was no pomp and ceremony today. No line up of dignitaries. No obvious police presence.
It was still a reminder of what Harry and Meghan have to offer.
Much of the crowd that came out to see them was young and diverse – the vast majority of people I saw were under 30.
The mood at each event was informal with a strong emphasis on getting stuck in. They baked cupcakes, made West African food, played pool and had a go at basketball.
Watching both Harry and Meghan up close is a reminder of their ease at these kind of charity events. It plays to their strengths and Meghan brings that air of American self confidence.
Their return has unsettled the Royal Family with King Charles III just getting a few days notice ahead of the news breaking in August that the Sussexes were coming back to the UK with their children Archie and Lilibet.
While his son and daughter-in-law were in Nottingham, the King was at the ceremonial opening of the Senedd in Cardiff, firmly on royal duty, delivering a speech rich in references to community, to character and identity with an overriding message of the power of endurance.
And the complexity of the Harry and Meghan story is requiring endurance on all sides.
I get lots of messages and emails asking me why the BBC covers Harry and Meghan if they are not working members of the royal family.
The answer is because they have contributed to one of the most turbulent periods in the Royal Family in recent times and our audiences are interested whether they love or loathe the Sussexes.
And on a personal level, they remind us all how painful family breakdown can be and the deep damage it can cause to family life with the blame and bitterness hard to resolve – even more so when much of it is being played out in public.
We will continue to report on the work of all senior royals. Later this month, the King goes on an important trip to the Caribbean and the Prince of Wales will be in India next month with his Earthshot environmental prize. Both trips will provide insights into the priorities of father and son
The joint Harry and Meghan event we saw in Nottingham won’t be a regular occurrence but will happen occasionally. The Sussex’s representatives have stressed that they both have their own separate interests to focus on with plans for Meghan to launch a UK version of her lifestyle brand As Ever – possibly before Christmas.
And talking of Christmas – don’t expect to see Harry and Meghan in Sandringham with the rest of the Royal Family. They will instead spend that time with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, possibly here in the UK.
Families are complicated. The return of Harry and Meghan is a clear reminder of that.
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