Meghan’s hasty return to Canada raises speculation of semi-exile

The Duchess of Sussex’s return to Canada has prompted speculation that the couple’s semi-exile may have started already.

The duchess’s decision to fly back to Canada raised questions about the couple’s motive and whether a move to Canada is on the cards. Picture: AFP

The Duchess of Sussex’s return to Canada has prompted speculation that the couple’s semi-exile may have started already.

In an unexpected development no more than 48 hours after she and the duke made their first public appearance in London for seven weeks, Meghan flew back to Canada to be with their eight-month-old son Archie, who had remained there with a nanny while his parents were in England.

A spokeswoman for the duchess said: “I can confirm she is in Canada.”

According to online reports Archie has been staying with Meghan’s close friend Jessica Mulroney, a fashion stylist and television host whose husband, Ben, is the son of the former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney.

The Mulroneys, who have three young children, are based in Toronto, the capital of Ontario. However, The Sun reported that Archie had remained at the pounds 15 million waterfront mansion on Vancouver Island that the Sussexes enjoyed during their time in Canada. Meghan arrived at the island house on Thursday evening after a short connecting flight from Vancouver.

Meghan was always due to return to Canada after a brief return trip to the UK, it is understood. A source said: “She came back to attend some meetings and then went back.”

According to a source the original plan had been to spend six weeks in Canada. “They obviously decided over the break that they were going to extend their stay.”

The waterfront mansion in Vancouver is owned by an anonymous billionaire. The Sussexes’ stay there was arranged by the Canadian music producer David Foster, whose wife, the actress and singer Katharine McPhee, was at school with Meghan in California. It is not known if the duke and duchess have been paying any rent on the house, which has two private beaches.

Harry has a scheduled engagement on Thursday at Buckingham Palace, carrying out the draws for the Rugby League World Cup. He has other private work events in his diary next week, although no further public engagements, sources at the Palace said. This raises the possibility that he will fly to Canada to rejoin the duchess at some point in the next fortnight, although aides refused to be drawn on his movements.

“I imagine that he will be anxious to get back to his wife and baby,” a source said. They added that Harry and Meghan had commitments in Britain in the coming months and would not be basing themselves permanently in Canada.

The duchess’s decision to fly back to Canada raised questions about the couple’s plans, specifically whether they were intending to spend a longer time there this year than expected and whether they were making moves to set up home in Canada.

They announced on Wednesday that they were stepping back from their life as senior members of the royal family and planning to split their time between Britain and North America as they seek to become financially independent.

Sources have confirmed that the references to North America mainly referred to Canada, which has the advantage of being a Commonwealth realm, although the couple are also likely to visit the US. Meghan was born in Los Angeles, where her mother, Doria Ragland, still lives.

Toronto was Meghan’s home for seven years while she starred in the American legal drama Suits and was where the couple first started dating, having met in London in July 2016.

Harry and Meghan made their first official public appearance together in Toronto in September 2017 at the Invictus Games, the Paralympics-style event founded by the prince for wounded and injured veterans and service personnel.

Ms Mulroney, 39, is one of Meghan’s closest friends. Her children were page boys and flower girl at the Sussexes’ wedding in May 2018, and she hosted Meghan’s baby shower in New York last February.

On the day Meghan and Harry announced their plans to step back, Ms Mulroney shared on her Instagram account a quote from the American film-maker Gina Carey: “A strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink.”

The duchess’s other close friends in Toronto include Markus Anderson, the global membership director of Soho House.

THE TIMES