As many of us head back to work this week so too are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have announced their first engagement of 2020 will take place this week.
After a six-week break from royal duties which saw Meghan, Harry and their baby son Archie spend the festive season in Canada, it seems the couple can’t get enough of the Commonwealth nation, announcing their first engagement of the year will be a visit to Canada House in London on Tuesday.
Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, will meet with the High Commissioner in Canada to the UK Janice Charette and staff to “thank them for the warm Canadian hospitality and support” during their recent trip.
After a six-week break, the Sussexes are heading back to royal duties this week. (Image: Getty)
The couple will also visit the Canada Gallery to view a special exhibition by Skawennati, an Indigenous Canadian artist, and meet with different members of the High Commission team who work in a range of areas supporting the partnership between the UK and Canada.
The Sussexes last visited Canada House on Commonwealth Day in March last year, where they joined a special event with young Canadians to celebrate the diverse community of Canadians living in the UK.
The engagement was one of Meghan’s lasts before taking maternity leave ahead of now eight-month-old Archie’s birth and looked absolutely radiant in a bespoke emerald Erdem coat and dress – the perfect way to honour both the UK and Canada as the designer was born in Canada to an English mother and spent much of his childhood between the two countries.
Meghan and Harry joined young Canadians last year to make maple taffy on Commonwealth Day. (Image: Getty)
Just days before Christmas a Sussex spokesperson confirmed the royal family-of-three were spending “private family time” in Canada and were “enjoying the warmth of the Canadian people and the beauty of the landscape with their young son.”
Following the confirmation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to welcome the family tweeting: “Prince Harry, Meghan, and Archie, we’re wishing you a quiet and blessed stay in Canada.
“You’re among friends, and always welcome here,” he added.
According to locals on Vancouver Island, where the couple stayed, the royals were spotted hiking and jogging on multiple occasions in the Horth Hill region and were said to have been happy to lend a helping hand if needed.
According to Asymina Kantorowicz, who shared her story with CTV News Vancouver Island and PEOPLE, she and her boyfriend had a chance encounter with the royals during a hike on New Years’ Day, when the duchess spotted the young couple struggling to get a selfie that showed off the picturesque backdrop and offered to take one for them.
Asymina, who is a self-confessed fan of the TV series Suits, said she didn’t realise she was in the presence of royalty until she spotted Meghan’s good friend and former Suits castmate Abigail Spencer was part of the group, before taking a closer look at who was behind the camera.
“I looked up and realised it was Meghan taking the photo. Then I looked back at the group and realised Prince Harry was there too,” she said.
“I couldn’t believe who it was. There was Meghan smiling at me, waiting to take the photo and it was just shock at that moment and disbelief.”
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry spent the first day of 2020 enjoying a picturesque hike on Vancouver Island, Canada. (Image: Getty)
While baby Archie hadn’t tagged along for the hike, in a video covering the highlights of 2019, shared on New Years’ Day, Archie makes an adorable appearance, held by his proud dad Harry, and rugged up in warm winter wear, one of them being a cute knitted bobble hat which just happens to have been made by a Kiwi social enterprise, Make Give Live.
Make Give Live runs community knitting groups around New Zealand. The groups knit hats and for every hat purchased, the organisation donates one to a Kiwi need.
Sussex Royal released a video documenting highlights from 2019, which included this adorable image of baby Archie and Prince Harry, presumably during their holiday in Canada. (Image: Instagram/@SussexRoyal)
Since the image’s release co-founder of the organisation, Becky Smith, says sales have gone “through the roof”.
It looks like Archie’s shaping up to take after his mother’s ‘Meghan Effect’ – introducing the ‘Archie Effect’!
