London: The UK’s Prince Harry has arrived in Canada to be reunited with his wife Meghan Markle and baby son Archie, weeks after the couple’s shocking announcement of stepping back from royal duties to become financially independent, the media reported on Tuesday.
According to a report in The Daily Mail, the Prince was spotted landing in the Vancouver International Airport on Monday night and he left the Boeing 747 by the back staircase.
At the end of the near-10-hour flight, he was whisked away in a black minivan to continue his journey with a short 25-minute hop over to Victoria on Vancouver Island to join his family.
Earlier on Monday, Harry met Prime Minister Boris Johnson and world leaders at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London, which is likely to be one of his few remaining official engagements before the Sussexes take their ‘leap of faith’ and leave the monarchy later this year, mirror.co.uk said in its report.
The Prince’s arrival in Canada comes after he gave an emotional speech on Sunday night, saying he had “no other option” but to give up his official royal duties and forge a new life in Canada, where his wife and son are setting up home.
Ahead of Prince Harry’s arrival in Canada, Markle was spotted taking son Archie for a walk on Monday morning in the Horth Hill Regional Park, just a couple of miles from the oceanfront resident where she has spent most of the past two months on Vancouver Island, The Daily Mail report said.
Meanwhile, the couple’s apparent hopes for a “half-in, half-out” role in the monarchy were dashed on January 18 as Buckingham Palace said they “can no longer formally represent” the Queen after stepping back from public duties.
After 10 days of talks, an agreement was reached whereby they can quit front-line duties but cannot use their HRH titles, must pay back 2.4 million pounds of taxpayer cash and no longer receive public funds, said metro.co.uk in the report.
The pair have been allowed to use their Sussex Royal brand.
Since the couple have not technically been stripped of their HRH styles, like Princess Diana was after her divorce, they can continue to be called Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The developments comes after the couple’s January 8 announcement that they were stepping back as royals in order to become financially independent, but would continue to serve the Queen.