Prince Harry and wife Meghan have appeared together in northern England, the royal pair making a rare joint visit to several community groups near Liverpool.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose first baby is due in March or early April, had not been seen together since they joined the Queen and the rest of the royal family at a Christmas Day church service on the royal Sandringham estate.

As Meghan settles into royal life, she has been undertaking solo appearances, but joined her husband in the town of Birkenhead in Merseyside to visit several community centres, and meet local military veterans and young people.

They undertook a walkabout — their first since their blockbuster tour of Australia and the Pacific in October — meeting the public, chatting and shaking hands.

The 37-year-old Duchess intends to work late into her pregnancy, and has several events planned for this week.

She was wearing a stunning red coat by Canadian designer Sentaler over a dress by the design house Babaton.

She had been criticised for wearing only black in some of her most recent outings.

Their public appearances come after another torrid weekend of headlines for Meghan, who has been dubbed “Duchess Difficult’’ by the British press, with news that her bodyguard, a senior female officer with Scotland Yard, has resigned, weeks after her personal assistant also moved on.

The royal pair chatted and laughed with those who braved a freezing winter’s day to meet them.