Have Harry and Meghan won?
It was like a scene from the early days… a much-loved Prince Harry and Meghan greeting crowds, accepting flowers and carrying out charity work.
However, almost 10 years have passed since the newly engaged couple first visited Nottingham.
Huge rifts ruptured the peace behind palace walls, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex declared war on the British press.
After a pandemic, royal health battles and an American dream that appears to have fallen short, Prince Harry and Meghan have carried out their first official joint appearance back in the UK.
Okay, so the crowd was modest, and the security was patchy, but not much appeared to go wrong.
Although the Duke and Duchess are still awaiting the outcome of their security reviews, local police were on hand for crowd control, and there’s speculation that their Range Rovers were from the royal protection fleet.
The charity visits themselves, as reported by GB News’ Specialist Royal Editor Dorothy Reddin at the scene, also went without a hitch, leading to mostly favourable front-page coverage in British newspapers and viral moments on social media.
But before we all pretend they are working royals again, let’s remember what King Charles authorised his Lord Chamberlain to do.
Lord Benyon was ordered to write to senior Government officials, the military and Lord Lieutenants of the counties to remind everybody that Prince Harry and Meghan remain “private citizens”, and should be treated as such.
The thing is, nothing is stopping “private citizens” from carrying out charity work, inviting the media along, and announcing visits in advance to encourage well-wishers to attend.
Arguably, these sorts of visits are the most enjoyable part of being a member of the Royal Family.
So, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to their country home Thursday evening, they could go back to their private lives, without the “undesirable” responsibilities and scrutiny that come with being a working royal.
Meghan can resume focus on her business, pursue acting opportunities, and pick and choose which public appearances she makes.
Prince Harry can also be far more involved in planning for the Invictus Games, being held in Birmingham next year.
So, Prince Harry and Meghan get to enjoy the best bits about being a working member of the Royal Family without all the dull bits.
Meanwhile, the King and the Prince of Wales have to constantly justify the “value for money” they provide to British taxpayers.
The working royals have to carry out multiple engagements that do not make newspaper headlines.
As Harry and Meghan smiled for the cameras in Nottingham, I was with the King and Queen as His Majesty officially opened a session of the Welsh Senedd for the first time as Monarch.
Yes, it was arguably not as exciting as Prince Harry and Meghan coming to town, but it was an important constitutional duty.
For the people of Wales, it reconfirmed King Charles’s commitment to the country he spent so long as their Prince.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were on a secret visit to Cornwall, where Catherine was preparing to launch a new drive to examine how nature can support the development of babies and young children.
This, all without fanfare or the press.
For the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, I suspect this week’s successful visit to Nottingham has given them the confidence to do more of the same: being half-in, half-out, royals.
Exactly what the late Queen didn’t want.