Meghan Markle is considering a renewed focus on charitable work once Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are fully settled, as the Sussexes are said to be “excited about being back” in Britain.

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, and Prince Harry, 41, are understood to still be settling in and recovering from jet lag after leaving their Montecito home in California more than ten days ago.

According to reports, the couple have been keeping a low profile while shopping for school essentials, including uniforms and pencil cases, ahead of their children starting classes next week.

But the daily school run is reportedly the issue causing the greatest anxiety for Harry and Meghan, with sources claiming it presents the most significant security risks.

The Duke of Sussex is also said to have privately appealed to Shabana Mahmood for clarity over whether taxpayer-funded protection will be provided for his family.

Meanwhile, Meghan is thought to be eyeing up a return to charity work once Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have settled in. 

A source close to the duchess said ‘she wants to pick up with a lot of people’. It is understood to include Smart Works – a charity that supports unemployed and vulnerable women looking for jobs – with Meghan wanting to rekindle her public support.

She held four patronages after she wed Harry in 2018, but Smart Works was the only one she continued to support after she stopped working as a royal. 

She is expected to be photographed and publicised working with the charities. The duchess and Harry are considering creating a ‘fair’ structure for any media coverage after withdrawing from the royal rota system following their self-imposed exile in 2020.   

‘She is thinking about plans for how she can get more involved and support the causes she was supporting and was passionate about again, and new causes too,’ the source told The Sunday Times. 

Harry is expected to appear in a string of engagements this month for his patronages and organisations he supports. They include the annual WellChild Awards, the Invictus Games, and Imperial College’s Centre for Blast Injury Studies. 

In 2019, Meghan launched the Smartset capsule collection to benefit Smart Works in a collaboration with fashion outlets Jigsaw, John Lewis, and Marks & Spencer. 

At the launch on the roof garden of John Lewis in London, she said: ‘This is the kind of work that I’ve been doing for a really long time, and to be able to do it here in my new home in the UK means quite a bit to me.

‘It’s also the same kind of work that my husband and I will continue doing. Really strong, community-based projects and this is something we’ll be excited to share more about next year when we launch Sussex Royal.’

She added: ‘As women, it is 100 per cent our responsibility, I think, to support and uplift each other.

‘To champion each other so we aim to succeed, to not set each other up for failure but instead to really be there rallying round each other and say “I want to help you”.’ 

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Friends have told The Sunday Times that Harry and Meghan are ‘excited about being back and everything that’s to come’. 

But it is the school run that is the biggest area of concern for the couple, with a decision yet to be made on whether they would get taxpayer-funded security. 

Scott Hamer, who worked in the Metropolitan Police’s royalty and specialist protection unit for 14 years until 2022, told The Telegraph the school run is ‘really, really difficult’. 

He said: ‘The whole point of protection is to keep the diary as tight as possible, to ensure people who might want to do bad things do not have the opportunity to do so.

‘With the school run, you can vary the route as much as you like but the start and end point will almost always be the same.’

A review of Harry’s security was apparently carried out on the orders of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) at the end of July by its risk management board (RMB).

However, the board is thought to have been unaware that he was planning a permanent move back to the UK when it considered its decision.

Harry wrote to the Home Secretary in mid-August to give formal notice of his family’s return to Britain, according to The Telegraph. He is still waiting to be told of RMB’s conclusions.  

Original estimates of £5million-plus for armed police protection for the family when they were in the UK could therefore skyrocket if the Home Office agrees to fund his security and he remains in Britain with his family full-time.

The review followed a lengthy tussle over whether Harry was eligible as a non-working member of the Royal Family for taxpayer-funded support following his failed legal battle against the Government last year.

At the time, the Court of Appeal declared that a grievance did not equate to a valid legal argument.

After he lost the case, he blamed an ‘establishment stitch-up’, but continued to battle for a fresh RMB.

The Sussexes’ arrival comes amid fervent speculation over Meghan’s rumoured return to acting several years after she stepped away to focus on royal life.

Conflicting reports say she may or may not have a role lined up for the third series of Netflix’s The Gentlemen, the high-octane gangster drama spin-off of Guy Ritchie’s 2019 film. 

Asked about the rumours at the Edinburgh TV Festival last week, Netflix’s UK head of scripted series Manda Levin would only say: ‘All bets are off’. 

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CHICAGO (WLS) — Thousands of bike riders are set to take over DuSable Lake Shore Drive on Sunday for the 25th annual Bike the Drive.

The popular Labor Day weekend event is expected to create traffic headaches for some drivers traveling to and around the lakefront.

Bike the Drive is organized by the Active Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit group that works to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and public transit.

Participants will ride a stretch of DuSable Lake Shore Drive spanning from Hyde Park on the South Side to Edgewater on the North Side.

This year’s event will also feature several new additions, including DJs at rest stops, a family fun zone at the festival and a mini golf course.

There will be the post-ride festival at Butler Field in Grant Park.

The ride officially kicks off at 6:30 a.m.

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Riders can enter DuSable Lake Shore Drive at any one of the following locations:

DuSable Lake Shore Drive will close to car traffic from 6 a.m. until 11:45 a.m., from Hollywood Avenue south to 59th Street.

Drivers will be able to access the museum campus via 18th Street and can access Navy Pier via Illinois Street.

Northbound Stevenson approaching Martin Luther King Drive will be closed for the drive. By 5 a.m. all lanes on northbound Stevenson will be closed.

All northbound Stevenson traffic will be diverted to the Martin Luther King Drive Exit.

The Stevenson will be fully opened by noon Sunday.

Dave Portnoy wasted little time firing back at critics Saturday night after Michigan pulled off what he called one of the “greatest finishes in the history of college football.”

The Wolverines opened their season with a dramatic 13-12 win over Western Michigan, a result that hinged on officials putting one final second back on the clock after a defender touched the ball with one second showing.

That ruling gave Bryce Underwood another shot at a last-gasp Hail Mary, and he delivered, finding JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown catch that sealed the victory.

Portnoy, one of Michigan’s most vocal celebrity supporters, jumped on X after the game to defend the officiating decision and push back against social media claims that the Wolverines had benefited from cheating.

“I’ve had a couple minutes to calm down,” Portnoy said, before describing the finish as one that would land “in the annals” of college football history. He praised Western Michigan’s effort, saying the “kids from Kalamazoo played their hearts out,” but insisted Michigan’s final play was legitimate. “Every time Michigan wins,” he said, “doesn’t matter if it’s a National Championship, when you go undefeated, or a masterpiece like what we just saw… all the jealousy, all the haters… ‘Oh, they cheated.’ We didn’t cheat. It was a second clear as day.”

“…Sometimes when the other team beats you, whether, again, National Championship, one of the great games that Hail Mary, you take your cap and you dump. 
You see, you know what? You beat us fair and square. It was a hell of a game, and you be a sportsman about it. But all over social media now, every, every Tom, Dick and Harry has a voice, and chirp, chirp, chirp. And all the people who wish they could wear their winged helmet. All the people who wish they had a National Championship. All the people who wish you can win your opening game of the season in the Kyle Winningham era like that, in a historic fashion, cry and moan and bitch, and try to take it away from these kids.

“I was gonna congratulate Western Michigan. If you played hard, you beat us fair and square. When we turn the table, suddenly, when we pull the magic, the rabbit out of the hat, everyone cries and is disgusting.”

Portnoy went on to say the “crying, pouting and moaning” that he believes follows Michigan’s victories is getting “out of control.”

“So, for all the haters, look in the mirror. It’s not our fault you’re not us, ok?” he added.

The Big Ten conference went on to release a late night statement around the play clock decision that also included the video reviewed by replay officials and audio of them discussing the call.

“Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out of bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock,” the statement read. “As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling.”

Portnoy also later shared a hawkeye view of the first long ball attempt by Michigan before they were awarded the extra second on the clock.

“Its pretty indisputable the refs made the right call. Sorry to disappoint the haters. I know you want Michigan to lose so bad it’s like acid on your tongue,” he wrote.

Michigan began their Kyle Wittingham era 1-0 and moves on to face Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 12.

The Mets welcome the Giants for the series finale, and Sunday’s MLB schedule comes with a new-user offer from prediction market platform Novig for those signing up with the Novig promo code NYPOST.

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What our Post expert thinks about Mets vs. Giants

The series continues as Logan Webb takes the mound for San Francisco, while the Mets counter with Christian Scott. 

Scott, who has posted a 2-2 record with a 3.59 ERA and 47 strikeouts at Citi Field this season, will look to contain Giants slugger Rafael Devers. 

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Why Trust New York Post Betting

Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.