Published 18:33 IST, January 11th 2020
Prince Harry delays plans to join Meghan in Canada amid royal split talks
Prince Harry has reportedly delayed his plans to fly to Canada this weekend and join wife Meghan and baby Archie as the talks are going on over finalizing the couple's future roles after they stepped back from Britain's royal frontline.
Prince Harry has reportedly delayed his plans to fly to Canada this weekend and join wife Meghan and baby Archie as the talks are going on over finalizing the couple's future roles after they stepped back from Britain's royal frontline. The UK and Canadian governments are among those being consulted by royal aides to work out a solution after Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced their decision to step back as senior royals and assume more financially independent roles while dividing their time between Britain and North America.
Royal sources have been quoted in the UK media as saying that the talks are "progressing well" and that Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, father Prince Charles, and brother Prince William are all engaged in trying to find a way forward "sooner rather than later".
"I don't want to get into the whole thing, I just have such respect for the Queen, it shouldn't be happening to her," said US President Donald Trump in reference to the royal split which has made worldwide headlines.
Some indications that Harry may also be flying to Canada to join Meghan, who flew there on Thursday to be with their eight-month-old son, seem to have been put on hold as he is scheduled to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup reception at Buckingham Palace next Thursday. It is also believed that he plans to stay on to try and smooth things over as transition plans are finalized.
Meanwhile, the couple's Instagram account is back in action with images of a recent secret visit they made to the survivors of the 2017 Grenfell fire tragedy in London. The couple met with women of the Hubb Community Kitchen set up in the wake of the tragedy in west London, just before they announced they would be stepping down as senior royals. Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, have said they plan to continue helping charitable causes through their new Sussex Royal charity.
Last month, they made an application to trademark the brand across a string of items including books, calendars, clothing, charitable fundraising, education, and social care services. However, that process may face some legal wrangles as it emerged that an application has been lodged in the European Union (EU) to trademark a range of goods including beer and jewelry under the same brand. In their statement released earlier this week, they also said they would be adopting a "revised media approach", engaging with "grassroots media organizations" and using their Instagram account, which has more than 10 million followers, to "personally share moments in their lives directly with members of the public".
The royal family, led by the 93-year-old monarch, was said to be "hurt" and "blindsided" by their shock announcement, which they said was finalized after "many months of reflection and internal discussions". It came soon after their return to the UK from a six-week holiday on Vancouver Island in Canada, the country likely to be their second home given Meghan's former actress connections with the city of Toronto.
Updated 18:33 IST, January 11th 2020