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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have faced fresh criticism over their return to Britain. Daily Mail columnist Amanda Platell questioned their intentions and warned that their supposed “cunning plan” to win the public back “won’t work.” 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to the U.K. in August 2026, six years after leaving royal duties for a new life in the U.S. They’re reportedly living in the Cotswolds with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. 

On Thursday, October 15, Harry and Markle are set to make their first joint public appearance in Britain since their return. They’re visiting Nottingham, where they made their first joint public appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017. 

In her column, Platell questioned whether their return to Nottingham was “pure coincidence or sheer cunning.” She also criticized the couple over their past disagreements with the royal family after they stepped back from royal duties in 2020. 

Platell claimed Brits were “universally appalled” by various attacks against the royals. She also accused the Sussexes of “milking their royal links after leaving the Firm. Now they want to be welcomed back by us. Fat chance,” she said. 

Platell suggested the couple might hope their latest appearance would encourage people to “let bygones be bygones.” She described their appearance as “triumphant” but doubted it would improve their public image. However, she made her position clear. 

“They may think it’s a cunning plan. But it won’t work,” Platell added. “If they continue in this vein, those boos for Harry in a rugby ground will soon be heard around the country.” Harry attended Leicester Tigers’ rugby match against Gloucester at Welford Road Stadium in Leicester on October 9. 

Some fans booed when he appeared on the stadium’s big screen. During their Nottingham visit, Harry and Markle are set to stop by the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in St. Ann’s. Harry will also meet musician and poet Jah Digga, who attended the studio as a child. 

Markle will join young girls for a confidence-building and bracelet-making workshop. They’re also expected to visit Himmah Hub and Epic Partners. The visit will also bring Markle back in touch with women from Hubb Community Kitchen. 

She worked with them on her 2018 charity cookbook, Together: Our Community Cookbook. Harry has made several public appearances on his own since returning to the U.K. He attended a Save the Children event and the Invictus Spirit Awards on September 17. 

The next day, he visited Birmingham to launch the Invictus INSPIRE program. He also attended the WellChild Awards on September 21. Markle didn’t join him at any of these events. She was, however, spotted on a few private outings.

On September 21, she reportedly visited The Three Horseshoes pub near Burford with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. She later had afternoon tea with Malala Yousafzai at Claridge’s in London on October 7. On October 14, she was seen having lunch with her hairstylist, George Northwood, near Kensington Palace.  

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