‘A Lazy One’: Harry and Meghan Exposed for Wanting Royal Perks Without the Work
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly hate being called “working royals.” According to The Times, a friend called the phrase “a really lazy” one. They added, “He hates it; she hates it.” The friend explained, “They are not ‘working’ for the institution, but they are members of the Royal Family, and they work.
Their days are built around their family life and their work. She’s running a business seven days a week.” Harry and Markle made their first joint public appearance in the U.K. on October 15. They visited Nottingham and met charity groups. They greeted people, posed for selfies, and accepted flowers.
Harry and Markle stepped back from their senior royal roles in 2020. However, they returned to the U.K. with their children in August 2026. On September 7, 2026, the Lord Chamberlain issued a letter on King Charles’ behalf. It said their position was “akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
Harry and Markle were reportedly “a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.” Meanwhile, during their Nottingham visit, they stopped at the Community Recording Studio, Himmah Hub food bank, and Epic Partners. They organized the visits on their own terms. They did not take on the duties expected of working royals. The Telegraph’s royal editor, Hannah Furness, criticized the visit in her commentary.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are back. Back to Nottingham, back to hand-picked charity visits they still call ‘engagements’, and back to walkabouts. Back to accepting flowers, inviting the press to cover them, and doling out hugs to anyone in the vicinity. Back to the life they said they did not want, except this time with none of the boring bits, or the duty that being a working royal entails,” she said.
She added, “Having found their financial freedom, the Duke and Duchess can – and now have – staged their own away-day, on their own terms, as if the last six years simply did not happen.” Harry had already attended several U.K. events without Markle before their Nottingham visit. On September 17, he attended a Save the Children event at Imperial College London.
Later that day, he attended the Invictus Spirit Awards in Greenwich. The next day, Harry visited a school in Birmingham. He was there to launch the Invictus INSPIRE program and spent time with students. On September 21, he attended the WellChild Awards in London.
Harry then made a surprise appearance at the United for Freedom gala on October 1. He gave a speech about Britain’s ties with Ukraine. On October 9, he watched Leicester Tigers take on Gloucester in a rugby match in Leicester. Markle did not join him for any of those appearances.
Markle was also spotted hanging out with friends at pubs after returning to the U.K. On September 21, she met Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at The Three Horseshoes in Oxfordshire. Markle later met her friend Kelly McKee Zajfen for a pub lunch.
Zajfen also shared photos from her U.K. visit on social media. The pictures showed Markle holding her friend’s baby son, Jack. On October 1, Markle and Harry were spotted together at the Falkland Arms in Great Tew, Oxfordshire. The couple stopped for lunch and were photographed holding hands.
