The British weather had also apparently decided summer was optional.
Grande wore an oversized off-white Amomento cardigan with straight-leg jeans, white Sandy Liang ballet flats and red socks. She finished the look with round Loewe sunglasses, Irene Neuwirth earrings and a pale pink headband, with her hair pulled into a braided bun.
Álvarez went similarly autumnal in a dark denim jacket, loose beige trousers, white shoes and a navy knitted beanie. It was not quite coordinated couple dressing, but it was close enough to make a casual London coffee run look rather more deliberate than anonymous.
Grande had already put Álvarez back on Instagram
The outing came little more than a week after Grande publicly acknowledged Álvarez on Instagram.
On August 12, she posted a collection of photographs that included the pair together. One mirror picture showed Álvarez with his arm around Grande while holding her hand; another featured him taking the photograph as Grande stood beside him. Although their faces were partly obscured, Grande tagged Álvarez, removing much of the mystery.
Reports of a reconciliation had started earlier. People reported that the two were seen together again in Austin, Texas, on June 26, when Álvarez also attended Grande’s tour date in the city. He subsequently appeared at a Brooklyn show in July.
Grande then supplied an unusually direct clue from the stage. During a New York performance of “thank u, next” — the 2018 song in which she famously references several former partners — she changed the Ricky lyric to: “Wrote some songs about Ricky / We always find our way back.”
For a singer whose catalogue has documented her romantic history with unusual efficiency, a lyric revision was perhaps never going to go unnoticed.
Matching tattoos have added another clue
London has provided another detail for those keeping score. During the opening stretch of her O2 residency, Grande displayed a script tattoo on her collarbone reading “I do love you.” Álvarez has a similar tattoo in roughly the same place, according to Vogue.
The matching ink has inevitably attracted attention given Grande’s history of commemorating important relationships and friendships through tattoos, although neither Grande nor Álvarez has issued a lengthy public statement defining their relationship.
People reported in July that sources described the reunion as deliberately unhurried. One source said Álvarez had remained a friend and confidant whom Grande trusted, while another said the pair were “taking things very slowly” and were not immediately rushing into anything serious.
Whatever label they are using privately, the public evidence has become considerably easier to read: appearances at concerts, altered lyrics, Instagram photographs, matching tattoos and now a photographed day together in London.
Grande still has several London nights ahead
The reunion is playing out against a major stretch of Grande’s return to live performance. The O2 confirmed 10 London dates for the Eternal Sunshine Tour, beginning on August 15 and finishing on September 1. Shows on August 24, 27, 28 and 31 remain on the schedule before the final September date.
The residency has already produced moments beyond Grande’s personal life. Cynthia Erivo, her Wicked co-star, joined her onstage during the second London show on August 16 for a surprise performance, giving the London run an additional connection to the film franchise that has occupied much of Grande’s recent career.
Álvarez, meanwhile, is no newcomer to Grande’s touring world. He worked as one of her backup dancers during the period surrounding their original relationship, meaning his presence alongside her during another major tour carries an obvious sense of history.
Ten years ago, he was an ex-boyfriend important enough to earn a line in “thank u, next.” In 2026, Grande has rewritten that line, put him back on her Instagram and walked through London beside him.
At this rate, calling it a soft launch may be stretching the definition.
