Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly dislike being described as “working royals.” A friend told The Times that the label was “a really lazy” phrase, adding, “He hates it; she hates it.” The source said the couple are not “working” for the institution, but remain members of the Royal Family who have professional commitments.
“Their days are built around their family life and their work. She’s running a business seven days a week,” the friend explained. Harry and Markle made their first joint public appearance in the U.K. on October 15, visiting Nottingham to meet charity groups. They greeted members of the public, posed for selfies, and accepted flowers.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their senior royal roles in 2020. They returned to the U.K. with their children in August 2026. Then, on September 7, 2026, the Lord Chamberlain issued a letter on King Charles’ behalf stating that their status was “akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
Harry and Markle were reportedly “a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.” During their Nottingham visit, they stopped at the Community Recording Studio, Himmah Hub food bank, and Epic Partners. The couple arranged the appearances on their own terms rather than taking on the duties traditionally associated with working royals. The Telegraph’s royal editor, Hannah Furness, criticized the visit in her commentary.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are back. Back to Nottingham, back to hand-picked charity visits they still call ‘engagements’, and back to walkabouts. Back to accepting flowers, inviting the press to cover them, and doling out hugs to anyone in the vicinity. Back to the life they said they did not want, except this time with none of the boring bits, or the duty that being a working royal entails,” she wrote.
Furness continued, “Having found their financial freedom, the Duke and Duchess can – and now have – staged their own away-day, on their own terms, as if the last six years simply did not happen.” Before the Nottingham appearance, Harry had attended several U.K. events without Markle. On September 17, he joined a Save the Children event at Imperial College London.
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Later that day, Harry attended the Invictus Spirit Awards in Greenwich. The following day, he visited a school in Birmingham to launch the Invictus INSPIRE program and spend time with students. On September 21, he appeared at the WellChild Awards in London.
Harry also made a surprise appearance at the United for Freedom gala on October 1, where he spoke about Britain’s ties with Ukraine. On October 9, he watched Leicester Tigers play Gloucester in a rugby match in Leicester. Markle did not accompany him to any of those events.
Markle, meanwhile, was seen socializing with friends at pubs after returning to the U.K. On September 21, she met Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at The Three Horseshoes in Oxfordshire. She later enjoyed a pub lunch with her friend Kelly McKee Zajfen.
Zajfen also posted photos from her U.K. trip on social media, including an image of Markle holding her friend’s baby son, Jack. On October 1, Markle and Harry were photographed together at the Falkland Arms in Great Tew, Oxfordshire. The couple stopped for lunch and were seen holding hands.