Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, has
arrived in Canada to begin his new life with his wife, Meghan and son, Archie.
According to reports, the 35-year-old, who recently
relinquished his royal duties, was pictured leaving a commercial flight in
Vancouver on Monday evening. Hours before his departure, Harry took part in an
engagement with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and African leaders before
boarding a British Airways flight from Heathrow.
However, the outing comes shortly after the Queen announced Prince Harry and Meghan’s decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. The couple along with their son Archie will now split their time between the UK and North America as they begin transition into their new independent life. However, Harry told guests at a charity dinner for Sentebale that the UK will always be his home and that he and Meghan had hoped to serve the Queen and country.
The UK is my home and a place that I love,
that will never change,” he said.
“I have grown up feeling support from so many
of you, and I watched as you welcomed Meghan with open arms as you saw me find
the love and happiness that I had hoped for all my life.”
It has also been a privilege however to meet so many of you, and to feel your excitement for our son Archie, who saw snow for the first time the other day and thought it was bloody brilliant,” he added. “I will always have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my commander-in-chief, and I am incredibly grateful to her and the rest of my family, for the support they have shown Meghan and I over the last few months. “I will continue to be the same man who holds his country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities and military communities that are so important to me. “We are taking a leap of faith, thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step, “he added. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has given her blessing to grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s wish for a more independent future following crisis talks involving the most senior members of the royal family. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” the 93-year-old monarch said in a statement. “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family, while remaining a valued part of my family.” She said there would be a transition period during which the couple would spend time in the UK and Canada, adding there was more work to be done on finalising future arrangements for the couple. Earlier, Prince Harry and Meghan issued a statement outlining their wish to step down, “carve out a progressive new role”, and become financially independent.
They said that they had wanted to divide their time between North America and the UK. In response, Buckingham Palace said these were “complicated matters”. The British media reported that the Queen was taken aback by the couple’s move. In her Royal Christmas Message, the monarch rounded off what she described as “bumpy” year.
