Are Harry and Meghan Winning Back Support? Nottingham Visit Draws Supporters to Their Defence

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's return to Nottingham on Thursday has sparked an unexpected argument over whether the couple are winning back British support. The couple's appearance drew both warm greetings and online arguments over whether crowd sizes reflected waning or renewed support.

Some reports suggested crowds looked thinner than during their 2017 visit, yet social media users rushed to defend the Sussexes. Many questioned why their turnout was being compared with their royal heyday. The response followed their first joint public engagement since moving back to Britain in August, when well-wishers greeted them with cheers, flowers and selfies.

Supporters Challenge Nottingham Crowd Criticism

The Mirror posted that supporters had been 'spilling over the barricades' when the newly engaged couple visited Nottingham nine years earlier, but that Thursday's gathering looked 'a tad thinner'. The observation drew a string of rebuttals, many comparing the Sussexes' reception with appearances by working royals.

'Show us the Waleses crowds in 2017 and 2026 then we can compare and contrast,' one X user wrote, adding, 'Thank you Nottingham for showing my faves love.' Another argued that Harry and Meghan were meeting people outside individual buildings rather than conducting the same kind of street walkabout as in 2017, making direct comparisons difficult.

'Please go focus on your king,' another supporter wrote, describing the couple as 'two private citizens'. A fourth mocked the negative coverage, 'Since they didn't get booed like we wanted what angle can we write'.

While the replies were not a scientific measure of public opinion, the reaction showed considerable resistance to the suggestion that smaller crowds meant diminished affection. The online exchanges also highlighted how fiercely the Sussexes's public appearances continue to divide royal watchers.

Inside the Nottingham Visit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited three community organisations with longstanding connections to their charitable work. At the Community Recording Studio in St Ann's, they greeted well-wishers, posed for photographs and spoke with young people. According to ITV News, one woman shouted, 'We love you Duchess Meghan, we love you.'

They then visited Himmah Hub in Hyson Green, which tackles food poverty. Meghan reunited with women involved in the Hubb Community Kitchen, whose work inspired her 2018 charity cookbook, Together.

Their final stop was Epic Partners in Sneinton, which supports children and families through mentoring, education and sport. Meghan told a well-wisher, 'It's great to be back.'

Nottingham also hosted the couple's first joint public engagement following their engagement announcement in 2017.

Does the Warm Welcome Signal a Shift?

The reception provides evidence of enthusiastic local support but cannot establish a nationwide change in attitudes. Reuters reported that around 100 supporters greeted the couple, while coverage of their final stop described a larger gathering. Meanwhile, national views remain divided, particularly across age groups.

The Sussexes are no longer working royals, despite returning to live in Britain. Their Nottingham appearances were charitable visits rather than official engagements on behalf of the Crown.

For those who turned out, however, the welcome was unmistakably warm. And online, critics of the couple's crowd size found themselves facing a vocal crowd of their own.