Published 12:45 IST, March 5th 2020
Prince Harry, Meghan to appear together for the first time since January
For the first time since their announcement in January of stepping back as the senior members of the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan will appear together.
For the first time since their announcement in January of stepping back as the senior members of the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan will appear together at an official engagement on March 5. As Queen Elizabeth II's grandson and Meghan are officially known, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will attend an awards ceremony for wounded service personnel, which will also be one of their last before they quit as working members of the royal family on March 31.
While Harry remains a Prince, they have agreed to not use the HRH titles; His or Her Royal Highness, and will not use “royal” in their branding even though they said there was no jurisdiction by the monarchy or the government to stop them from using the word overseas. Since the shock announcement of January, that couple wishes for “a progressive new role”, they have spent most of their time in Canada. Meghan's last official engagement was the visit to the Canada House in London just days before the announcement on January 8.
Archie will be in Canada
As the Duchess of Sussex will be in Britain this week for the last round of royal engagements, reports have stated that Meghan will not bring her son, Archie. According to international reports, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are “very sad” by the news of not being able to see Archie in the UK where Prince Harry has been since last week to complete his official duties. While the royal couple will be touring Britain before formally stepping down, Archie will be in Vancouver with his nanny and Meghan's close friend, Jessica Mulroney.
Meanwhile, the federal government has also confirmed on February 27 that Canada will soon stop providing security for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. According to international media reports, it was the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that has been providing assistance to the couple since their arrival in Canada “intermittently since November 2019”. After March 31, the couple will no longer carry out duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. However, these arrangements will be reportedly reviewed after 12 months.
Canada's federal Public Safety Minister, Bill Blair has said in a statement that since the RCMP has been engaged with the British officials from the very beginning regarding the security considerations, but the assistance to Duke and Duchess of Sussex “will cease in coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status”. He had also said that the couple's announcement presented the Canadian government with a "unique and unprecedented set of circumstances".
(With agency inputs)
Updated 12:45 IST, March 5th 2020