Meghan Markle Had Her First Public Event in Canada After She and Prince Harry Stepped Down as Senior Royals

After returning to Canada following the announcement that she and Prince Harry would step down as senior royals, Meghan Markle attended her first public engagement (opens in new tab) since the news broke, visiting a women's center in Vancouver. As People reports, the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre posted a cute, smiley photo (opens in new tab) on Facebook of the Duchess of Sussex's visit, captioning it, "Look who we had tea with today! The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, visited us today to discuss issues affecting women in the community."

Meghan's always used her platform to uplift other women, so her visit to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre was a fitting one. According to the DEWC website (opens in new tab), the center "assists women with their immediate and crisis needs so they can develop stability and access the resources they need to improve health, family, employment and housing situations" as well as "increasing awareness of systemic injustice and inequalities that contribute to women’s vulnerability." Over 500 women, children, and elderly people use the center every day, the website says; it offers shelter to vulnerable people as well as hot meals, free clothing, and other necessities. 

Meghan and Harry are likely to be spending a lot more time in Canada, according to a statement released by the Queen (opens in new tab) after Monday's royal summit at Sandringham. "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the royal family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family," the Queen announced.

"It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK," the statement continued. Let's hope that the family are able to build the happy, peaceful life (free from the relentless media racism directed at Meghan) that they so deserve.

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