The Duke of Sussex has appeared in public for the first time since announcing he and his wife are to step back as frontline royals.
Prince Harry returned to Buckingham Palace, the heart of the institution rocked by the bombshell announcement last week that he and Meghan would leave their senior roles as full-time royals and move part-time to Canada.
His first official engagement, as he and Meghan began a period of “transition”, was to conduct the draw for the Rugby League World Cup 2021, and announce a mental fitness charter for the tournament.
Before the draw for the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments, Harry met schoolchildren on a makeshift rugby pitch in the palace’s back garden. One of the assembled reporters shouted to him: “How are the discussions going on your future?” Harry, who was making his way into the palace, only smiled at one of his entourage and did not reply.
Meanwhile his wife, almost 5,000 miles away in Canada, has undertaken private visits to two women’s organizations in Vancouver, with photographs of her appearing on social media sites.
Harry’s appearance, as patron of the Rugby Football League, could be his last in public in the UK for the immediate future as he prepares to join Meghan, and the couple’s baby son Archie, in Vancouver. It is thought he has some private engagements in the UK early next week, but nothing in the official diary after that.
The engagement also raises questions over how he and Meghan intend to honor their commitments as patrons to their organizations if they are to spend significant amounts of their time in Canada.
The Queen, who has given a reluctant blessing to the couple’s plans, has asked that senior aides find workable solutions to the complex issues involved in the couple’s future in days, not weeks. These include how the couple intend to fulfil their ambition to earn an income, and who will pay for their armed personal protection, as they carve out new “progressive” roles.
Following Monday’s family summit at Sandringham, the Queen announced the duke and duchess would undertake a “period of transition” , splitting time between the UK and Canada, as they work to become “financially independent” of the taxpayer.
But though Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has said the majority of Canadians would welcome the Queen’s grandson and his wife, the message was less encouraging elsewhere, indicating significant challenges for the couple as they enter their brave new world.
It remains unclear how the couple intend to operate as semi-detached royals, but Meghan hasmade two private visits to women’s organisations in Vancouver.
Kate Gibson, from the Downtown Eastside women’s centre, said she had received an email on Monday from an unknown person, who turned out to be an “assistant” to the duchess, asking if a VIP could drop in on Tuesday.
Meghan also visited the Justice for Girls organisation, which posted two black and white photographs of her having tea on its site.
Gibson told Canadian media Meghan had stayed for one hour, and discussed issues such as women’s housing and welfare. “We found her to be very genuine, just really comfortable,” she said.
The photographs were posted as the Mail on Sunday filed its defence documents to legal action by the duchess for publishing extracts from a letter she wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. The case raises the prospect of her father giving evidence against her. Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, told the BBC: “If he’s called, he will come.”
Ahead of his appearance, in a video on the couple’s Instagram account, Harry launched the tournament’s mental fitness charter, saying: “Rugby league isn’t just a sport, it’s a community. And one that takes care of its own.”
He said he was proud to launch the charter. “This charter will build on the brilliant work already happening in rugby league by committing to training and educating all those involved in the tournament, and the wider rugby league family, not only in how they can look after their own mental fitness but also support others to do the same.”
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