Canadians confront paparazzi as Harry and Meghan reunite on Vancouver Island
Locals on Vancouver Island have been filmed clashing with paparazzi as the new royal residents spark a divided response in the area.
Locals on Vancouver Island have described feeling “protective” of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as the young royal couple attempt to make a new life for themselves in Canada.
Prince Harry flew back to Canada on Tuesday after 10 days apart from his wife, Meghan, and eight-month-old son, Archie.
But as he touched down at Victoria International Airport in chilly British Columbia, the world’s media was already waiting for him.
Meghan was also snapped by paparazzi while walking her two dogs, Guy and Oz, through a wooded park in North Saanich on Monday.
The Duchess appeared to smile for the camera as she clutched baby Archie to her chest, but a statement later issued by her lawyers told a very different story.
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According to the statement, photographers had been hiding in nearby bushes to spy on her and did not ask for permission before snapping the pictures.
Paparazzi have also been camping outside the couple’s secluded home and using long lenses to spy inside, the lawyers said.
Locals in North Saanich say they hope the press will soon leave the couple and their community alone.
“Locally, I’d say we’re protective. Not intrusive. Let them live their life,” one woman told Canada’s CHEK News.
One resident was filmed by the television station confronting the photographer who papped Meghan and asking him to move along.
“I’ve been in this community 11 days now,” paparazzo Derek Shook told the local.
“Do you think a guy like you does anything for this community? Doesn’t matter how much money you spend,” the resident replied.
Shook told CHEK News it wasn’t the first time he’d been heckled by members of the public.
“I get that all the time. They don’t understand,” he said.
He said most photographers would clear out once they got their first glimpse of Prince Harry, and defended snapping Meghan with her son.
“If she wanted to, she could have put her head down. But she stood up tall and smiled and made sure we were able to get the shot,” he said.
“It’s a worldwide story. It’s the biggest story in the world,” he added.
Local boat drivers have also been asked to ferry reporters closer to the Duke and Duchess’s estate, which is best viewed from the water.
But Miles Arsenault, the owner and captain of Deep Cove’s Bay to Bay Charters, said it didn’t feel right to him and he refused a camera team from a Japanese television station.
“It was a no-brainer for me to walk,” he told local media.
“It’s just not the way that I wanted to be remembered — as carrying paparazzi around.”
However not everyone is thrilled about their presence, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation launching a petition against ongoing financial support for the couple.
“Everyone wishes Meghan and Harry all the best in becoming financially independent, but we need to be clear about one thing: Canadian taxpayers shouldn’t have to cover their bills,” said CTF Federal Director Aaron Wudrick.
“The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is launching this petition to make sure Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knows that Canadians are happy to welcome the couple as long as they pay their own way.”
Wudrick said the couple themselves expressed a wish to be independent.
“True financial independence cannot be achieved if Canadian taxpayers are still paying the bills,” he said.
“Canadians are already on the hook for the unlimited, unaccountable expenses of retired governors general and they should not be responsible for funding the private lifestyle decisions of members of the royal family.”
Buckingham Palace has said Prince Harry and Meghan will officially step down as senior members of the royal family in spring, which begins in March in the UK.
In the meantime, Meghan has been continuing to make royal visits to various charities in Canada, including the Mayhew animal welfare group.
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“Earlier this month, the Duchess of Sussex popped in to see the amazing people at Mayhew to hear about the incredible progress made throughout the festive period,” a post on her official Sussex Royal Instagram read on Wednesday.
“The Duchess of Sussex, having been proud patron of Mayhew since January 2019 and long understanding the connection between animal and community welfare, applauds the people at Mayhew for the vital work that they do every day.”
But the Duchess will face another media storm when her father’s documentary airs on British television on Wednesday night (UK time).
The 90-minute program entitled, Thomas Markle: My Story, will be shown on Channel 5 and promises to exclusively reveal the story behind his fall out with Meghan.
Snippets shared online also show him attempting to clarify some of the confusion around his no-show at Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding back in 2018.
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“I want to apologise to the Queen and to the royal family,” he says in one clip.
“I was scheduled to go to the airport and go fly to England because they still wanted me to come to the wedding and be at the wedding. And at that time I got a massive heart attack and was then taken to the Sharp hospital, across the border.”
“I want everyone to know that I’m not all the trashy things that are being said about me,” he adds.
“I want Harry and Meghan to see this video and know that this is not fair.”
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