Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of staging "royal theatre" as they prepared for their first joint public appearance in Britain since returning to the UK - a visit to several charities in Nottingham on October 15.
The city holds special significance for the couple, as it was the first place they visited together after announcing their engagement in November 2017. Their itinerary of charitable engagements is being closely watched for how closely it mirrors the format of an official royal visit.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the YouTube show "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital that, based on her sources, "there is frustration" inside Buckingham Palace as Harry and Meghan prepare to conduct the visits in a manner resembling an official royal engagement.
"Harry and Meghan are no longer working members of the royal family," Schofield said. "King Charles recently reminded his government that the Sussexes are private citizens. The Sussexes appear increasingly determined to recreate the optics of royal life without the responsibilities that come with it. ... The charitable visits, the appearances, the photographers. It's royal theatre without royal authority."
Schofield added: "Royal engagements aren't just photo opps. There's diplomacy involved. There's soft power. Working royals represent the sovereign, strengthen relationships and serve the interests of the country. Harry and Meghan appear more interested in faking the image of royalty than embracing its purpose. They can imitate the engagement, but they can't replicate the authority or constitutional significance."
British broadcaster Helena Chard echoed the criticism, telling Fox News Digital: "They are pushing to reclaim the spotlight they left behind. It's definitely a reboot - a pseudo royal reboot."
The Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and have since lived primarily in California, building media and charity ventures including Archewell. The couple's relationship with the rest of the royal family has remained strained in the years since, with periods of limited public contact and competing narratives about their departure.
The Nottingham trip marks a notable moment: their first joint public appearance on British soil since returning to the UK, and it has been interpreted in some quarters as an attempt to rebuild a public profile in the country Harry left behind. Royal watchers are divided over whether the charity visits represent genuine philanthropic work or a calculated attempt to recapture the ceremonial standing they relinquished.
The Palace has not publicly responded to the "royal theatre" characterisation. The debate underscores a broader, unresolved question about the couple's status: whether two people who chose to leave royal life can, or should, continue to operate in the public imagination as quasi-royals, borrowing the forms and rituals of the institution without its duties.
Media coverage in the UK has been intense, with the couple's every move scrutinised. Supporters argue the criticism is motivated by hostility toward the couple, pointing out that former royals engaging in charity work should not be controversial. Critics counter that the choreography of the visits - the photographers, the carefully staged appearances - reveals an ambition to enjoy the privileges of royalty while declining its obligations.