This Celebrity Helped Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Plan Their Vacation in Canada
Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are set to return to royal life after an extended hiatus from their royal duties. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were struggling under the pressure and scrutiny of their positions. They took some much needed time away from the U.K. during the holiday season to spend time with each other and their infant son, Archie Harrison.
Since remaining in the U.K. would have given the royal couple very little privacy — the Sussexes decided to head to Canada, a country that will always have a special place in their hearts. When Markle and Prince Harry met in 2016, the duchess was working in Toronto, Canada on her hit TV series, Suits. The pair were able to keep their romance under wraps in the North American country. Therefore, it seemed only logical to return to the place where their relationship first blossomed.
The duke and duchess had some help when it came to planning their trip.
This is how Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent their vacation
The Sussexes headed to the picturesque Vancouver Island during their hiatus where they were seen hiking, jogging and taking in the sites. “As has been reported, “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are spending private time in Canada,” a royal spokesperson confirmed to Royal reporter Omid Scobie. “The decision to base themselves in Canada reflects the importance of this Commonwealth country to them both. Whilst this emails confirms the country they are taking their family time in, for security reasons we will not be releasing any further details and request that their privacy is respected.”
Since the Sussexes don’t get the same amount of privacy while they’re in the U.K. they were able to take advantage of the great outdoors on Vancouver Island. “Horth Hill’s become a very popular place now. And they jog around, so they’ve been seen,” Deep Cove Chalet co-owner Bev Koffel said. “It’s kind of exciting. I hope everything goes fine for them. They’re breaking away from tradition and I just wish them all the best.”
Markle even jumped in to snap a photo for a couple they encountered during one of their hikes.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stayed in a $14 million mansion
During their stay on Vancouver Island, the Sussexes and Baby Archie stayed in a $14.1 million mansion. The estate sits on four acres with access to two beaches. Daily Mail reported the home is “fully furnished, with a 11,416 square foot main house with five bedrooms and eight bathrooms and a 2,349 square foot guest cottage with three beds and two baths. It also has, “a formal dining room, paneled office with fireplace, large two-story living room opening to the chef’s kitchen with pizza oven, game room with wet bar, media room and wine tasting room.”
Since the Sussexes had to find a private home that could be outfitted with extra security — they enlisted a little bit of help.
Producer David Foster helped Meghan Markle and Prince Harry plan their vacation
Meghan Markle is close friends with musician Katherine McPhee, who is married to Canadian musician, David Foster. “I felt honored that I was able to help Meghan there, because I’m a Canadian and we’re a commonwealth country, we’re the Crown’s,” Foster told Daily Mail. “It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment. I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off.”
Since Foster doesn’t own the mansion, he only acted as a facilitator between the unnamed owner and the royals. “The owner has allowed this to happen through me, and I was happy to facilitate,” he explained. “I don’t know what their next plans are, but I know that it was reinvigorating for them to spend some downtime. This is a great testament to my hometown of Victoria that they were able to go under the radar for so long.”