LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are conducting their first joint public appearances since moving back to England, as the couple who walked away from royal duties six years ago seek to rebuild their brand in Britain.
The couple will on Thursday visit three charities in Nottingham, the city in central England where they made their first joint appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017.
The day’s events are being presented with touches of royal style, including an announcement that features Harry and Meghan’s titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and a prearranged media pool chronicling their movements. Archewell, the philanthropic venture that often took center stage when they were living in the U.S., is hardly mentioned.
But King Charles III, Harry’s father, has made clear that the couple remain non-working members of the royal family, a status they accepted when they abandoned royal duties and moved to California.
In a letter sent on behalf of the king to senior government officials shortly after Harry and Meghan returned to the U.K. in September, the palace stressed that the couple would continue to refrain from using their royal forms of address — His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness — and any charity work they undertake would be carried out as private citizens.
The decision to send the letter and, more importantly, to release it to the media demonstrated the concern among some palace officials that Harry and Meghan’s celebrity could allow them to become a sort of parallel royal court, competing with the Prince and Princess of Wales and other working royals for press coverage and public support.
Thursday’s tour includes visits to the Community Recording Studio, which uses music, performance and athletic programs to help young people build confidence and develop practical skills; Himmah, central England’s biggest food bank; and Epic Partners, which offers sports, education and mentoring programs for disadvantaged young people.
Harry has been involved with the Community Recording Studio and Epic Partners for more than a decade, and Meghan worked with Himmah on “Together: Our Community Cookbook,” published in 2018.
While the couple continued to support charities in the U.K. after they left Britain, their focus was elsewhere.
Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago, saying they wanted to earn their own living. They later signed lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify.
Relations with the rest of the royal family quickly deteriorated as the couple said palace staff had been insensitive to Meghan’s mental health and leveled charges of racism and media manipulation at other members of the family.
But tensions began to ease in recent months as Harry expressed a desire for reconciliation with the king, saying he wanted his children to have a chance to get to know their 77-year-old grandfather. Charles is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer that was discovered in 2024.
The couple and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are reportedly living at a private, non-royal residence in the Cotswolds, a rural area of rolling hills, villages and farms to the west of Oxford.
While the couple have expressed their happiness about returning to the U.K., the move hasn’t been without controversy.
Harry continues to lobby for publicly funded police protection, which was canceled when he and Meghan gave up royal duties.
The prince says he and his family remain under threat simply because of his royal status. Just days into the new school year, the children have changed schools because of security issues.
FILE - Prince Harry, and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrive to meet volunteer first responders from Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club, during a visit to Bondi Beach, Australia, on April 17, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP, File)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 15, 2026--
Tourism Malaysia and Alipay+, the unified wallet gateway of Ant International, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate cross-border commerce and digitalise merchant engagement across Malaysia's tourism economy.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261014035900/en/
As Malaysia welcomes visitors for Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 (VM2026–2027), this partnership merges Tourism Malaysia’s destination marketing with Alipay+’s global wallet ecosystem and AI capabilities. It aims to create a highly intelligent digital journey, connecting international travellers directly with local operators as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), strategically distributing visitor spending beyond major hubs to support the broader economic goals of VM2026–2027.
Mr. Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, said: “Digital technologies continue to reshape the way people plan and experience travel, and Tourism Malaysia remains committed to embracing innovative solutions that enhance visitor convenience and engagement. This initiative makes it easier for travellers to discover Malaysia and access tourism-related benefits through a seamless digital journey, supporting our broader efforts under VM2026–2027 to strengthen Malaysia's competitiveness as a smart tourism destination. By leveraging digital platforms with extensive international reach, we can engage travellers more effectively while showcasing Malaysia's diverse tourism experiences to a wider global audience.”
The MoU builds on Alipay+'s significant momentum within Malaysia's digital commerce ecosystem. In the first half of 2026, over 600,000 merchants, primarily SMEs, received payments from Alipay+ partner wallets and bank apps, marking a year-on-year increase of over 70%. Furthermore, traveller spending via DuitNow surged by more than 60%, establishing Alipay+ as the largest contributor to inbound QR transactions nationwide. Currently, Alipay+ connects over 2 billion user accounts with 150 million merchants across 210 destinations, and operating through major national schemes like PayNet.
Mr. Michael Guo, Alipay+ General Manager for Southeast Asia, South Asia and ANZ, Ant International, added: “Cross-border commerce is evolving beyond the moment of payment. AI can now connect a traveller's intent with the right destination, business and offer. Through our collaboration with Tourism Malaysia, we are helping local businesses not only accept international payments, but also to actively engage global customers, creating more opportunities for Malaysian businesses, particularly SMEs, to participate in the growth of cross-border travel and commerce.”
A core component of the collaboration is Alipay+ Voyager, an AI travel agent embedded within travellers' digital wallets. Alipay+ Voyager will surface Tourism Malaysia-verified cultural, culinary, and experiential offerings tailored to individual interests, creating a new digital channel to reach international customers at the moment of discovery. To further incentivise exploration, Tourism Malaysia will also launch an exclusive AI-powered travel subsidy programme, allowing visitors to converse directly with the digital agent to unlock benefits for accommodation, transportation, and attractions. Alipay+ Voyager also simplifies the day-to-day experience – for example, visitors can access local ride-hailing services directly via their embedded AI agent, without having to download additional apps, and also get triple protection covering timeout, no-shows, and long waits.
Tangible Benefits for Malaysian Businesses
As part of the MoU, Malaysian merchants, big and small, all across the country will benefit from the growing number of visitors for VM2026-2027:
Through these initiatives, Tourism Malaysia reinforces its commitment to cultivating a connected, inclusive digital commerce ecosystem that benefits both the national economy and the everyday traveller, beyond the Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 campaign.
About Tourism Malaysia
Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC). It focuses on promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination and has, since its establishment, played a significant role in strengthening the country’s presence and competitiveness in the global tourism landscape.
Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) underscores Malaysia’s commitment to sustainable tourism development, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The campaign aims to showcase the nation’s diverse natural attractions, rich cultural heritage, and vibrant tourism offerings, while driving inclusive growth and long-term value for local communities and industry stakeholders.
For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s website www.tourism.gov.my and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
About Alipay+
Ant International's Alipay+ is a unified wallet gateway with cross-border payment and digitisation services that help connect global merchants to consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payment, a broad choice of deals and the convenience of digital services using their preferred payment app while travelling abroad. Small and medium-sized businesses may use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.
(From left) Mr Mohd Akbal Setia (Head of VM2026 Secretariat and Senior Director, Advertising & Digital Tourism); Mr Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim (Director General, Tourism Malaysia); Mr Danny Chung (General Manager of Alipay+ Global Growth Center and Vice President of Ant International); Mr Michael Guo, Alipay+ General Manager of SEA, South Asia and ANZ, Ant International)
