Prince Harry joins wife, son in new life in Canada
Canadians say welcome, but many wonder who will pay security bill
TRENTON, Canada
Prince Harry landed Tuesday in Canada to start a new non-royal stage of his life with wife Meghan Markle and eight-month-old son, Archie.
His arrival on Vancouver Island was short-lived as he quickly boarded a plane to Victoria, where he was met at touchdown and whisked away.
The couple opened a new uncharted chapter for royalty after announcing earlier this month they would be stepping away from royal duties.
The announcement came as a surprise to the House of Windsor and to Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
After Harry met with the queen and others in a private session, it was announced the couple would give up their royal titles, pay back public monies used to refurbish their Frogmore home and stop receiving funds from the taxpayer funded sovereign grant given royalty.
Harry said Sunday he hoped to make a compromise with the queen, retaining some duties but reducing the couple’s expose to the pubic eye.
“What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you,” he said at a private function for his charity, Sentebale. “Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.”
The couple had wanted some of the pie, as it were, but the queen insisted it was all or nothing, leaving Harry with “no other option” than to step aside.
Meghan and Archie were in Canada for a couple of weeks without Harry as the situation with the House of Windsor played out.
The move to Canada, likely on a part-time basis, was welcomed but it did leave speculation open to who was going to pay the security bill – millions of dollars annually – for the couple.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were the subject of intense scrutiny by the British media and social media and they complained about the treatment.
Some called it racist.
On Twitter Dawn Butler, one of the Labour party’s deputy leadership candidates, said the treatment of Meghan, “shows exactly why we need to have a discussion about race.
“As I proud black woman, I’m not surprised Meghan has chosen peace of mind over dealing with racism every day.”
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