Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might not work for the monarchy, but their latest public appearance was certainly reminiscent of their royal heyday.
On Thursday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first joint appearance since moving back to the UK with their children in September.
The couple headed to Nottingham, which holds special significance for the duke and duchess. They made their debut as a royal couple there in December 2017 after they got engaged, attending the Terrence Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair.
For their 2026 visit, they spent the day visiting multiple charities, including the Himmah Hub, the organization Meghan collaborated with on her 2018 charity cookbook when she was a working royal.
It’s been nearly a decade since their royal debut, and although Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior royals, their 2026 appearance looked remarkably similar to their 2017 visit.
Take a look at photos from both Nottingham appearances to see the similarities and differences.
At their first royal engagement in December 2017, Harry and Meghan wore coordinating ensembles.
For their first appearance after their engagement, Harry and Meghan both walked the streets of Nottingham in navy coats for a matching moment.
Meghan’s double-breasted coat from Mackage hit her mid-calf, and she paired it with a black turtleneck and a taupe Joseph skirt. Black, slouchy boots completed the look.
Harry paired his coat with a blue blazer, dark trousers, a white shirt, and a cream scarf.
For their 2026 visit, the couple showed off their own style, wearing slightly more casual attire.
Harry wore a slightly more casual version of the outfit he wore in 2017, pairing a white shirt and charcoal blazer with jeans rather than dress pants.
Meghan, on the other hand, wore an all-maroon ensemble designed by Joseph, who made her skirt for her 2017 appearance. As she did for her first event, Meghan wore a turtleneck and a skirt, with a belt at the waist, though she swapped boots for pointed-toe heels.
She wore her coordinating coat open, showing off the look as she greeted people, and had her hair swept up in a ponytail.
They greeted members of the public in 2017, but they kept their interactions fairly formal.
During their first walkabout, Harry and Meghan stopped to speak to people throughout Nottingham, chatting with adults and children.
People took photos of the couple as they spoke to them, but they didn’t stop to pose for the pictures, keeping their interactions more formal as members of the royal family tend to do.
In 2026, they took selfies with members of the public.
Harry and Meghan had more relaxed interactions with Nottingham residents during their 2026 visit, including posing for multiple selfies with fans who whipped out their phones.
Working royals rarely take selfies with the public, though Prince William notably broke protocol to take a birthday selfie with Taylor Swift in 2024.
In 2017, the couple kept physical contact with the public limited.
Photos from Harry and Meghan’s 2017 trip to Nottingham show the couple shaking hands with people as they stopped to talk.
In some, they crouch down to speak to children, making sure they could hear them.
However, in 2026, they embraced well-wishers.
Harry and Meghan shook hands with some visitors in 2026, but they also greeted some members of the public more warmly.
They grasped hands, joked with people as Harry seems to do in the photo above, and, most notably, gave several hugs to people who had lined up to meet them. Meghan, in particular, was photographed embracing several of the people who had gathered.
Meghan received several bouquets at her first royal engagement in 2017.
When Meghan visited Nottingham in 2017, members of the public had prepared to greet her with flowers, symbolically welcoming her into the royal fold.
She left her 2026 event with multiple bouquets as well.
As they did in 2017, the flowers people brought her in 2026 sent the message that Meghan was welcome in Nottingham following her yearslong absence from the UK.
Harry and Meghan stuck together for much of their 2017 engagement.
Making their first official appearance in December 2017 was a big step for Harry and Meghan, as they had largely kept their relationship private before they got engaged.
The couple greeted people individually, but they also kept close to each other’s sides throughout the day. In one photo, they held hands, with Meghan putting her other hand on Harry’s forearm.
Nearly a decade later, not much had changed for the couple.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been through a lot since they first went to Nottingham (as has the royal family).
They got married, welcomed two children, stepped back from the royal family, and spent years living in California.
Despite those changes, the couple looked as smitten with each other as they did nine years ago, with photographers snapping a shot of them in a nearly identical pose to the one from 2017. They smiled and grasped each other’s hands as Meghan held Harry’s wrist, just as she had in the past.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to Nottingham, where they made their royal debut in 2017. Here’s how the visits compare. appeared first on Business Insider.
