How Meghan Markle's charity feels about her UK return
Smart Works — how Meghan Markle's charity has framed her homecoming — says it is “very excited” to welcome the Duchess of Sussex and her family back to the UK. A representative told Hello! Magazine the job-skills charity is embracing her return after she and Prince Harry relocated from California with their children for an extended stay.
Key Takeaways
- Smart Works told Hello! Magazine it is “very excited” to welcome Meghan and her family back to the UK.
- Meghan has remained a patron of the charity since 2018, including after the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
- Page Six reported some UK locals are “more wary than excited” about the couple’s return.
- Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly plan to ignore Harry and Meghan as they resettle in England.
What did Smart Works say about Meghan’s UK return?
According to Page Six, a Smart Works representative told Hello! Magazine the charity is “very excited to welcome the Duchess and her family back to the UK.”
Smart Works helps unemployed women gain skills to secure jobs. It was one of four original public patronages Meghan received after marrying Prince Harry in 2018 and becoming a working royal.
She kept the role after the couple stepped back as senior royals and moved to California in 2020. For more royal and star coverage, see our celebrity breaking news hub.
Why aren’t all UK locals celebrating the Sussexes’ move?
Not everyone shares the charity’s enthusiasm. Page Six previously reported that the couple’s shock UK move left some locals “more wary than excited.”
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told Page Six the “chattering class” of the North Cotswolds — where Harry and Meghan are reportedly house hunting — are “not overly excited.”
“The Cotswolds can be incredibly welcoming to high-profile people because there’s an unwritten agreement: ‘You don’t make a spectacle of yourself, and neither will we,’” Schofield explained.
How have Prince William and Kate Middleton responded?
Page Six reported that Prince William and Kate Middleton plan to ignore the pair. A friend of the Waleses recently told the Daily Mail it makes “no difference” whether Harry and Meghan are in Oxfordshire, California, or elsewhere, saying William and Catherine will continue public service and “intend to lead by example.”
Page Six also reported last month that the move was a “huge slap in the face” to the future king and created “serious risks for the monarchy.” The Sussexes and Waleses have been estranged since Harry’s Oprah interview, Netflix project, and 2023 memoir “Spare,” and Meghan accused members of the royal family of racism in the 2021 Oprah sit-down.
Harry and Meghan returned to England last month with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, for an “extended period,” reportedly flying privately from California and landing at Birmingham Airport around lunchtime on Aug. 26.