Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are returning to public engagements amid a frosty relationship with the Royal Family. This week, the couple will be visiting Nottingham, England, where they’re expected to meet with local community organizers. It will be their first public event since they returned to the U.K. in August after a six-year stint in North America. In an interview with CTV News Channel on Monday, Royal Family commentator Richard Berthelsen said the outing will help illuminate the couple’s position in the U.K. “(The couple) haven’t really been clear what they’re plan was for being back in the United Kingdom,” Berthelsen said, then added it appeared to be a response to a letter from Buckingham Palace that called the couple “private citizens.” “(Harry and Meghan have) made clear, through sources in the media, that they see themselves as public figures,” Berthelsen explained. When the couple said they would step back from Royal duties in 2020, Elizabeth made it clear they could not be part-time Royals. Charles reiterated that position when he became King in 2022. Berthelsen said the choice of Nottingham was telling, calling it a callback to one of the couple’s first public appearances after getting engaged. He also said London is on the couple’s itinerary, where they’ll push some of their projects forward. “I think this is for them to suggest to the public that they’re back. and they’re doing the sorts of things that members of the Royal Family do,” he said. Berthelsen said the couple’s return to the U.K. has created tension and confusion, given their public quarrels with the Royal Family. “It was a very significant move on their part to return to the United Kingdom. I think for them, it’s an attempt to really bathe in the aura of royalty, because their positions in the public really depend on their proximity to the Royal Family,” he said. Doing public events in the U.K. can increase the couple’s credibility more than it could in the U.S., Berthelsen said, as the American public might see them as “yet another celebrity,” rather than as a prestigious Royal couple like in Britain. “I think they really want to go back to what they wanted in the first place, with all the trappings that went with that and with all the opportunity to make money,” Berthelsen said. However, he wasn’t sure how successful they will be. He added that a reconciliation with the Royal Family “seems to be very far off,” particularly with Harry’s brother, Prince William.
