Why Prince Harry Hasn't Returned to Canada With Meghan Markle

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House

(Image credit: Neil Mockford)

published 15 January 2020

After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step down as senior royals, Meghan Markle returned to Canada, where the family spent time over the holidays, while Harry remained in the U.K. (Archie stayed with Meghan's close friend Jessica Mulroney in Canada before the Duchess' return, according to People.) If you're wondering why Harry hasn't reunited with his family across the pond after Monday's royal summit at Sandringham, the answer's a pretty simple one: He's got an official engagement in London on Thursday.

Harry, as patron of the Rugby Football League, will host the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draws at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, as People reports (for the women's, men's, and wheelchair competitions). It seems fair to assume he'll reunite with Meghan and baby Archie once his commitments are wrapped up.

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Meghan, meanwhile, has her own official engagements in Canada: On Tuesday, she visited the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in Vancouver, a fitting choice for a royal who's always centered feminism in her work. The center posted a sweet, smiley photo of Meghan's visit on Facebook, with the caption, "Look who we had tea with today! The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, visited us today to discuss issues affecting women in the community."

The center's mission is to help 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," while they also campaign to raise awareness of "systemic injustice and inequalities that contribute to women’s vulnerability."

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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.