Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped out hand-in-hand for a casual pub lunch in the Cotswolds, marking their first public sighting together since relocating back to Britain.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, and the Duchess, 45, were photographed Thursday walking together toward The Falkland Arms, a 16th-century establishment where they settled in for a low-key meal. Harry sported a Santa Barbara fire department baseball cap, a quiet nod to the family’s California home in Montecito. Markle opted for gluten-free beer-battered haddock and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce, while Harry chose a chicken, ham and leek pie with seasonal greens, creamy mashed potatoes and gravy.
A pub insider said that staff and patrons alike treated the couple without fanfare. “Everyone here gets the royal treatment — it doesn’t matter who you are,” they shared. “We’re lucky to get lots of different people visiting us, and everyone is treated like a local. When they visited, Harry and Meghan just acted like locals.”
The relaxed appearance follows a turbulent stretch for the family as they navigate security challenges surrounding their children’s schooling. Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, had enrolled at a prestigious $35,000-a-year prep school but attended only two days before concerns about their travel safety prompted their departure.
The situation escalated when Markle’s personal phone number was reportedly leaked after she joined a WhatsApp group for parents at the school. Paparazzi subsequently scoped out the children’s new educational facility, drawing sharp condemnation from the Sussexes’ camp.
“There is a world of difference between legitimate media activity and photographers walking the perimeter of a school, stopping to look into the grounds and monitoring children as they go about their day,” a spokesman for the couple said in a statement earlier this week. The spokesperson added that it’s “concerning” that members of the European paparazzi “appear unwilling to respect the privacy of children at school.”
Despite the friction, Harry has struck an upbeat tone about the family’s resettlement. In an interview with CTV last week, he confirmed his children “are happy in school.” The “Spare” author also expressed personal relief about the geographic shift, noting, “It’s been great to be back on British soil.”
The pub outing offers a glimpse of normalcy amid ongoing adjustments. The couple’s return to the UK has been closely watched since their high-profile departure from royal duties in 2020 and subsequent establishment of a life in California. Their current British base has not been publicly disclosed, though the Cotswolds visit suggests they are putting down roots in familiar English countryside territory.
Security arrangements for the family remain a pressing and unresolved matter. The Sussexes lost their automatic police protection when they stepped back as working royals, and Harry has waged a prolonged legal battle to restore it. The leak of Markle’s phone number and the school perimeter incident represent the latest flashpoints in their fraught relationship with media intrusion.
Harry is scheduled to appear at the Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025.