Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit has raised important questions, writes Nottingham Post Editor Natalie Fahy.
Meghan Markle landed in one of the most deprived parts of the UK on Thursday wearing a £1,400 wool and cashmere coat.That’s the start of the story but there’s so much more.
As the editor of the Nottingham Post, I know this city well and I know how hard people work to help those who are struggling.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, parachuted into Nottingham on Thursday, and while the small crowd of loyal fans waiting for them were smiling, thousands more will be fuming at the gall of their pseudo-Royal circus.
It stands in stark contrast to their 2017 visit to the city, where hundreds of people lined a narrow city centre street to catch a glimpse of the freshly-engaged couple. It took them a long time to work the crowds that time. You have to question what Harry and Meghan’s fan base looks like now.
Their tour around community projects in St Ann’s, Hyson Green and Sneinton was worthy and no doubt gave a boost to those people who give their all to these organisations year in, year out. It cannot be argued that the couple have handed over significant amounts of cash to these projects.
But once they’ve jaunted back to their cosseted life – what is left?
There will be a cost to the Nottingham taxpayer, how much exactly we don’t know. City Council Community Protection Officers were diverted from other duties to provide crowd reassurance in St Ann’s outside the Community Recording Studio.
Council-owned barriers were placed outside to keep the crowd in check. A single Nottinghamshire Police car blocked the road.
In Sneinton, while the couple visited Epic Partners, an unmarked police car blocked the road. For balance, I should tell you that a plastic chair with a sign saying “no one past this point please” was also used (ineffectively) for crowd control in Sneinton.
None of this is free. So why are we paying for the activities of what Buckingham Palace itself calls ‘private citizens’?
Nottingham has had its struggles. We’ve just emerged from effective bankruptcy as a city, which got so bad the Government commissioners had to step in. The fountains in Old Market Square can’t be repaired because it would cost too much. The Council House needs a good scrub and repairs to the roof, and our old Debenhams has been empty since 2021, while yobs often run riot inside its empty corridors.
Our tram drivers are going on strike for more pay this winter, a move that will probably cripple the city. Such is life on the streets that our council felt moved to ban balaclavas.
Despite all this, things are just starting to look up. For the first time in living memory, council tax will be frozen. The site of the former Broadmarsh shopping centre is now a green oasis in the centre of the city. A huge £20m underspend has been earmarked for youth services and libraries are extending their opening hours again.
The city council seems to have a vision and is working hard to drag Nottingham out of the bad times.
Back to Meghan’s coat. I highlight this because St Ann’s is one of the most deprived areas in the country, let alone Nottingham. Nearly 80 per cent of children live in low-income families.
Buying school uniform is a struggle, never mind stepping out in a coat that costs more than their household brings in every month. Harry’s outfit was probably equally expensive, but it’s harder to identify via a Google search – this is not just a poke at Meghan.
The average household income in St Ann’s is £27,000 a year. The child poverty rate in St Ann’s and Hyson Green sits at 45 per cent.
The reaction to their visit in our newsdesk email has been overwhelming. And not in a positive way. We have been reminded at all hours today by people all over the world that the couple are private individuals. One even pointed out: “You may have private citizens lurking around looking for attention so beware.”
When I think about what Nottingham really needs right now, it’s the quiet strength of people who are there continually and invest time and energy in young people and families.
One particular encounter summed everything up for me today. In Hyson Green, well-wishers had taken time out of their day to wait for a glimpse of the couple on Gregory Boulevard outside the Himmah Hub community kitchen.
Yet, after the cooking session inside, the Duke and Duchess were quietly escorted out of a rear exit for their next stop. They left a street of waiting fans disappointed – some still clutching flowers they hoped to give them.
For all the talk of community support, when the circus packs up and moves on, the people who actually live here are left standing on the pavement, holding flowers, waiting for a reality that has already driven away.
