Duke and Duchess of Sussex to visit Canada’s High Commission in London

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to visit Canada’s High Commission in London to thank staff for the “warm” hospitality they received during their extended festive break in the Commonwealth country.

Harry and Meghan are thought to have returned to the UK after spending six weeks away enjoying private family time with their eight-month-old son Archie, while being based in the Commonwealth nation.

Buckingham Palace said in the operational note for the visit, which will take place on Tuesday, the couple wanted to meet Janice Charette, Canada’s High Commissioner to the UK, as well as staff to “thank them for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their recent stay”.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex – 2019
Duke and Duchess of Sussex – 2019

During their visit, the couple will tour the Canada Gallery and view a special exhibition by indigenous Canadian artist Skawennati, an award winning new-media artist based in Montreal.

The duke and duchess will also meet different members of the High Commission team who work in a range of sectors supporting the partnership between Canada and the UK.

Meghan, a former actress, lived and worked in Toronto during her time starring in the popular US drama Suits, and the couple were famously pictured together when Meghan joined her then-boyfriend Harry at the 2017 Invictus Games in the Canadian city.

The Sussexes are likely to have spent the US Thanksgiving celebrations, which in 2019 fell on November 28, with the duchess’ mother Gloria Ragland.

Duchess of Sussex supports cookbook
Duchess of Sussex supports cookbook

During their time away, the couple missed the Queen’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace and the gathering of royals at Sandringham on Christmas Day.

The Queen was said to have been supportive of the Sussexes’ plans and it followed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s past decision to spend Christmas with Kate’s parents and not with the monarch.

During 2019, Harry and Meghan faced reports of a rift, first between Meghan and Kate and then between Harry and his brother William.

In a television documentary broadcast last October, Harry, when asked about the situation, said he loved his brother dearly but they were “on different paths at the moment” and have “good days” and “bad days” in their relationship.

William, the Queen and other senior royals were said to have been left “very worried” about the Sussexes after their emotional appearance on the ITV programme, filmed during their tour of Africa last autumn.

Harry described his mental health and the way he deals with the pressures of his life as a matter of “constant management”.

Meghan admitted feeling vulnerable, and spoke of the difficulty in coping with intense tabloid interest, saying: “It’s not enough to just survive something, that’s not the point of life. You have got to thrive.”

The couple’s high-profile visit to Africa, carried out at the request of the Government, was overshadowed on the penultimate day when the duke condemned the British tabloid press for bullying his wife, as Meghan launched a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers.

The duchess is suing over an alleged breach of copyright and privacy after the Mail on Sunday published a private letter between Meghan and her estranged father.

The newspaper has said it stands by its story and will be “defending this case vigorously”.

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