Nottingham beneath Robin Hood: caves carved under the city, a pub in the rock by the castle, and the Sherwood oak where the outlaw supposedly hid

When Prince Harry and Meghan chose Nottingham in December 2017 for their first joint official engagement, just weeks after announcing their engagement, the city got a royal photo op. Nearly nine years later, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are going back - to the Community Recording Studio, a social project that helps young people through creative and sporting activities. A good occasion to see what Nottingham hides beyond the legend.

And the legend is unavoidable. Robin Hood, the outlaw who took from the rich to give to the poor, is the face of the city: his statue stands by the castle, and his story has its place in the museum too. The Balkans have their own hajduks and songs about them - England turned its outlaw into a tourism brand.

The castle on the rock

Nottingham Castle stands on Castle Rock, a crag on which key events in English history have played out for almost a thousand years. The building visitors see today is the product of several rebuilds, and its museum and galleries tell the local history and, of course, the story of Robin Hood. The most interesting part is underground: tours of the castle caves, among them Mortimer's Hole and King David's Dungeon.

A city beneath the city

Beneath Nottingham stretches an extensive network of caves carved into the rock, which for centuries served as cellars, storerooms and workshops. At the City of Caves you walk through passages, a medieval tannery and Second World War air-raid shelters. One tour covers centuries - from the tanners to the people hiding from the bombs.

Right next to the castle is Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, a pub carved into the rock that is said to be one of the oldest in England. A pint in a cave, beneath a fortress - hard to imagine any tourism marketing coming up with a better story.

Lace, brick and art

The Lace Market was once the centre of lace production and still keeps its red-brick warehouses and factories. It is also home to St Mary's Church, the oldest parish church in the city. Today the old industrial buildings are filled with cafés, independent shops and cultural spaces, and the neighbouring Hockley quarter has more small shops, cafés and creative businesses.

The Nottingham Contemporary gallery offers temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, and entry is free. The central Old Market Square is the place for markets and events.

Deer and the outlaw's oak

Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan mansion in a large park where deer roam freely, and it houses Nottingham's Natural History Museum. Further out from the city, in the county of Nottinghamshire, lie Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak - a very old oak said to have been one of Robin Hood's hideouts.

For an overnight stay, Colwick Hall is a Georgian mansion on the edge of the city, linked to Lord Byron's family. For dinner, Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms has two Michelin stars and only seven rooms. From an outlaw legend to two Michelin stars - Nottingham has managed to sell both.