The U.K.’s royal family was booked and busy on Thursday, Oct. 9.

In a rare moment of scheduling synergy, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, Prince William, King Charles and Queen Camilla all stepped out for engagements on the same day.

While they were miles — and in some cases, an ocean — apart, each outing reflected familiar themes of service, from building community to championing positive change.

It’s unusual to see so many members of the royal family out on the same day. The palace typically spaces out engagements to ensure steady visibility and avoid competing headlines.

Across two continents, the monarchy’s most-watched figures all stepped into the spotlight within hours of one another. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may no longer be working royals, and their estrangement from much of the family remains unresolved, but Harry’s recent reunion with his father in London adds a poignant layer to the parallel timing of their public appearances.

Taken together, the day offered a rare snapshot of the monarchy’s past and present — divided in distance and duty, yet momentarily aligned in purpose.

So, where was everyone?

Harry and Meghan

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were in New York City on Thursday evening, where they attended the Project Healthy Minds’ annual World Mental Health Day Gala.

The couple was recognized as the Humanitarians of the Year for their role as co-founders of their Archwell Foundation, through which they’ve shown their “commitment to mental health support and building a safer, more equitable digital world for today’s youth and families.”

While in New York together —  their first trip back since Meghan was honored at the 2025 TIME100 Summit in April — the couple will also attend Project Healthy Minds’ annual World Mental Health Day Festival on Oct. 10. There, they will join Deepak Chopra, M.D., Boardroom co-founder Rich Kleiman, bestselling author Jonathan Haidt, TV icon Katie Couric, parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy, parent activists and more.

It was at the World Mental Health Day Festival two years ago that Harry and Meghan began their own important work with Healthy Minds. Through Archwell, they created the Parents’ Network, for families and caregivers who have experienced the loss of a child due to online harm or bullying. This transformative global support community now spans the U.S., Canada and the UK.

Kate and William

The Prince and Princess of Wales were the only couple who split up for their outings. In the morning, Kate, 43, visited Home-Start Oxford to meet and speak with the parents, children and volunteers at the charity, which provides care to families with at least one child under five years old.

The visit coincided with Home-Start UK’s national network preparing to launch new training based on an explainer series developed by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood Explainer Series, which Kate launched in 2021.

“The Explainer Series films are a key part of The Princess and the Centre’s work to demonstrate how building social and emotional skills in the earliest years is crucial for healthier, happier outcomes in adulthood and for nurturing a more compassionate, loving society,” Kensington Palace shared in a statement about the project.

During her time at the Oxford center, Kate watched the training videos with some of Home-Start’s 9000-strong network of volunteers and discussed strategies to educate carers about children’s social and emotional development, as well as encourage parents to build confidence, independence and resilience.

She also joined a “Stay and Play” session, where families connect in a relaxed environment, receiving support from volunteers and staff while enjoying activities like dress-up, tea parties, crafts and more

Then, on Thursday evening, Prince William joined his father to attend the pre-COP30 evening held at the Natural History Museum, in London. The event is a precursor to the major United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, next month.

The royal father and son met with the Brazilian Ambassador to the U.K., Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, and Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilhal, as well as British Government officials and environmentalists and other influencers tackling climate change and other environmental concerns.

During the evening, King Charles and Prince William viewed photography by the Woodland Trust — a charity in the U.K. working to preserve forests — met with business and finance leaders to hear how they are supporting woodland projects and examined new technology and innovative climate solutions developed in the U.K.

The latter was of particular interest to the Prince of Wales, who will also be in Brazil next month to host his annual  Earthshot Prize.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

In keeping with royal family tradition, King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 78, have been mostly based at Balmoral Castle in Scotland since the summer, heading south to London for official duties and the King’s ongoing cancer treatments.

On Thursday morning, they visited Albert Hall in Ballater, which is the closest village to their Scottish home at Birkhall. The local village hall is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its construction this year, and the King and Queen met with community members and were played a new Scottish fiddle tune written especially for the occasion by local musician Dr. Paul Anderson.

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During their visit, King Charles and Queen Camilla also met with community groups who use the Albert Hall for meetings, including members of The Scottish Women’s Institute. They also congratulated a group of schoolchildren who designed the winning flags in a competition to mark the hall’s anniversary.

The Albert Hall, was opened in 1875, with the Victoria Hall and the Gordon Institute, which share the same complex, opening twenty years later. The buildings were reopened in 1987 by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth following extensive refurbishment.