Harry and Meghan return to Nottingham for first joint UK outing

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex stepped out together in Nottingham on Thursday for their first joint appearance in Britain since returning to the UK.

The venue was The Community Recording Studio in St Ann's, known as CRS. The studio was originally set up to give young people access to music and recording facilities, and it has long ties to the neighbourhood. HELLO!

Harry's connection to St Ann's goes back more than a decade. It began with a private visit in 2013. During a return in September 2025, he announced a £1.1 million donation to BBC Children in Need, with the funds used in the redevelopment of CRS.

The Nottingham outing followed solo dates for Harry at the start of his time in the UK. He attended the Invictus Spirit Awards, for competitors and supporters of the Invictus Games for injured service personnel and veterans, and the WellChild Awards, which celebrates seriously ill children and their carers.

The couple are not operating in any official royal capacity. That means they do not carry out duties on behalf of the monarch.

Nottingham holds a particular history for the pair. It was where they made their first joint appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017. They married the following year, in 2018.

That first visit took place on 1 December 2017, as reported at the time by the BBC. After a walkabout, the couple went to the Nottingham Contemporary Exhibition Centre for an event to mark World AIDS Day.

They greeted hundreds of smiling well-wishers and both wore long navy overcoats, according to Reuters reporting from the day. It was Meghan's first-ever royal engagement, coming about a month after the couple announced their engagement, Newsweek later noted.

What makes this stand out is the symmetry. Nine years on, the setting is music and young creativity rather than a formal walkabout. The city is the same.