Football fans impressed as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle cutouts make it into stadium at Nottingham Forest match

Football fans were delighted by an “appearance” by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a championship match over the weekend.

With stadiums empty up and down the country, some clubs have asked their fans to sponsor seats, filling up their stands with cardboard cutouts of loyal supporters.

Eagle-eyed Nottingham Forest fans saw some unlikely guests at their match against Huddersfield Town on Sunday, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had pitch-side seats.

The couple looked more relaxed than many of the fans around them, at least one of whom was looking nervously from between his fingers.

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The royal “appearance” went down well on Twitter, with one offering “top marks” to the fan who did it, and another saying it was “great to see Meghan and Harry enjoying their first visit to the city ground”.

Comedian Matt Forde added: “Fair play to the Forest fan who paid £40 to have Harry and Meghan at the game.”

They weren’t the only famous faces in the stands. Another person spotted Mick Hucknall from Simply Red in the background, while Roy Keane also had a seat – and an ice cream.

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But one stickler for accuracy noticed the royal cutouts looked to be the wrong way around, adding “Infuriating that they've put them the wrong way round so Harry looks like he's got a 4ft-long arm”.

Meghan’s cutout features part of Harry’s arm, but on the other side.

Nottingham Forest’s We Are With You campaign allows fans to have a cutout installed at the ground for £20. Fans have also been able to leave their flags there, which are strung up inside the stadium.

If the pandemic hadn’t happened, Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, would have been in Britain a few times over the last few months, as they both would probably have attended Trooping the Colour, and Harry was due to make an appearance at the London Marathon.

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They were also planning to spend time in Scotland with the Queen at Balmoral, but that is also unlikely to be go ahead. It’s not known if the Queen will be able to make the usual move north for her annual summer break.

It’s not known how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have felt about their appearance, but Harry is an Arsenal fan.

Perhaps he will pop up at the Emirates next week.