By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter and Dan Woodland
06:41 15 Feb 2024, updated 07:33 15 Feb 2024
- Meghan and Harry arrived in the picturesque ski resort of Whistler Wednesday
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked thrilled to be spending Valentine’s Day in Canada – the country where they fell in love – as they hit the slopes to promote the next Invictus Games today followed by a film crew.
The couple are in the picturesque ski resort of Whistler, in British Columbia, Canada, for a two-day trip from California to highlight next year’s event, the first time it will involve winter sports.
Harry and Meghan were smiling and hand-in-hand as they arrived at the ski station, watched by what appeared to be their own film crew. The former Suits star also appeared to be filming on her phone as Harry tried a ski chair for disabled athletes and spoke to instructors.
They did not appear at all affected by the row over their Sussex.com website row – and criticism over their use of the royal links despite their rift with the Windsors and an agreement with the Queen not to use their HRH titles for business purposes or trade off their royal connections.
The Whistler trip is also their first public appearance as a couple since King Charles’s cancer diagnosis.
Meghan was all smiles and glamour in skinny white jeans and a sweater topped with a beige quilted coat while Harry was dressed down in jeans and a black Eddie Bauer anorak as he arrived for a training session with athletes planning to take part in the 2025 Games.
The pair were spotted bending down to talk to athletes competing at the games, while Harry tried out one of the competitors’ sit-skis, all while being followed close behind by a camera crew. Meghan was seen smiling with officials as she used her mobile to gather content.
Harry and Meghan made their way out of the gondola on Whistler’s Blackcomb Mountain shortly after 2.30pm local time and were introduced to three groups of adaptive skiers: one Alpine sit-ski, one standing ski and one group of visually impaired athletes.
Their trip to Canada comes as the couple are embroiled in a series of controversies – one over their new Sussex.com website and another over Harry’s flying visit to London last week to see King Charles following his cancer diagnosis.
Alex Cairns, a sit-skier from Canada, was the first to meet the Sussexes and gave a demonstration of the sport – arriving at the base of the slope to cheers from Harry.
The Whistler games will be the first time that Invictus has featured winter sports.
The couple arrived in Canada on Tuesday and were pictured by DailyMail.com touching down in Vancouver just after noon Pacific time following a two-hour flight from Santa Barbara – the closest airport to their home in Montecito.
Their arrival came on the same day that Meghan announced she had signed a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media after she and Harry parted ways with Spotify.
A convoy of cars collected the famous duo and whisked them away to Whistler where they are due to be on Wednesday and Thursday before they return to Vancouver for an event in the City of Glass on Friday.
The pair are then expected to travel home to California on Friday afternoon to be reunited with their children Archie, five, and Lilibet, two.
The Duke and Dutchess are currently embroiled in an ongoing row over their rebranded ‘royal’ website Sussex.com – complete with Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit front-line royal duties.
Sources now saying the couple did not consult palace officials about using their Sussex titles.
A source close to the couple defended the use of their royal titles, saying: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.’
Yesterday, Meghan, 42, was forced to put out a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple’s new website . Harry has also faced criticism over the short amount of time he spent in the UK following his father’s cancer diagnosis.
Experts have said the great Sussex relaunch is underway after poor PR caused by Spare and their Netflix documentary.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘Lemonada isn’t a household name as Spotify, which terminated the Sussexes contract, undoubtedly is.
‘Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, labelled them “F*****g Grifters” and that contract was worth $20million.
‘Lemonada received $8million in ‘Series A funding’ in 2022 and this contract with the Sussexes company Archewell is likely to be worth only a fraction of that with Spotify.
‘Meghan’s sole podcast for Spotify, the 12-episode Archetypes, which examines how women are held back, will be distributed and she will launch a new podcast, though it is unclear when or what she will earn or if Harry will have a role.
‘In 2021 Harry and Meghan made the Time 100 most influential people. It had been expected that their next move would be something spectacular.
‘Would Meghan sign with Dior? Would they have a major coup and join with a top brand? Would she go into politics?
‘Lemonada has been called “D-list”. It is small, having been founded in 2019 by two women during the pandemic. Both had lost brothers in tragic circumstances.
‘Meghan signed with the prestigious William Morris Agency in April of last year. Nearly a year later, they’ve produced little more than a lemon.
‘Is this the only result of yesterday’s rebrand when they launched a controversial website? With polls showing their popularity in the States low, Hollywood won’t hold its breath.’
PR expert Sean O’Meara, managing director of Manchester-based agency Essential Content, told MailOnline today: ‘Lemonada doesn’t have anything close to the brand recognition that Spotify has, and Archewell, the couple’s content production brand, had to put in a bit of work to help them move past the Spotify relationship.
‘I think it’s a good partnership for both parties nonetheless. Lemonada gets a high-profile partner, Meghan gets a new platform and a fresh start.
‘What Lemonada lacks in instant name recognition and category leadership, it makes up for in other ways.
‘It’s female-founded, gives a platform to a diverse range of perspectives and from a branding point of view, it’s far more closely aligned with how Meghan wants to be perceived.
‘Lemonada has produced podcasts with the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Samantha Bee and SuChin Pak, so they’re established with certain audiences already.
‘There’s obviously a little bit of pride to swallow when a partnership with a giant like Spotify ends, but the Archewell team can frame this quite easily to her advantage.
‘It’s a bit like when a band gets dropped by a major record label and then signs up with a cool indie label.
‘She’ll be swapping corporate clout for the prestige and authenticity of going with an indie.’
Harry’s dash to Britain began with an overnight British Airways flight from LAX that touched down in London just after 2pm on February 6.
Once there, he was taken to Clarence House for a meeting with his cancer-stricken father that lasted just 30 minutes and didn’t include his stepmother Queen Camilla.
The 39-year-old then spent the night in a hotel before catching a Delta flight back to LA – less than 24 hours after arriving.
It was claimed last week that Prince Harry ‘would have gladly accepted’ a reunion with his brother, William, but opted instead to stay in his hotel .
It’s believed William, 41, is remaining focused on tending to his wife, Kate, who is recovering from her abdominal surgery and is taking extended leave from public duties until after Easter
Harry popped up next in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday where he was a presenter at the NFL Honors Awards – a televised gala held at Sin City’s vast Resorts World hotel.
Presenting the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award to the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Cameron Heyward, he cracked a joke about rugby – telling the crowd: ‘I really love how you stole rugby from us and made it your own.
‘Instead of passing it backwards, just pass it forwards. Why not wear pads and helmets? Of course.
‘Have an offense and a defense – that makes sense. Why not take a breather every 15 seconds? And you know what? Instead of a 10-month season, let’s make it 18 weeks. Genius.’
Despite his chipper demeanor onstage, Harry was later pictured looking glum in the hotel’s underground parking lot and didn’t stick around to see the Kansas City Chief’s beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.
On Monday came the couple’s relaunched website with Harry’s 358-word biography emphasizing his environmental credentials – despite his penchant for using private jets.
Meghan’s longer bio played up her credentials as a philanthropist but made only one mention of her acting past and none of the Royal family.
Critics said the website is an attempt to monetize the couple’s royal connections leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.
Their ‘About’ page reads: ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.
‘This includes: The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organizations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.’
The new-look Sussex.com also made much of Harry’s Invictus Games initiative which returns next year with a snow sports edition in Whistler.
During the trip, the couple will meet competitors from the US, Canada, France, Ukraine and Nigeria, among others, at a training camp in the resort.
Critics said the website is an attempt to monetize the couple’s royal connections leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.
One said: ‘They are going to have real trouble with the use of Sussex. It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down. It’s just staggering they cannot see how gauche it is.’
Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror reported that the couple did not consult palace officials before launching the new site.
The Sun newspaper also said that Harry faced claims that the crest used was out of date, after he became son of the monarch last year.
Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce believe the couple should be stripped of their titles to stop them shamelessly profiting off the Royal family.
Without the Royal family, Ms Vine said, Harry would simply be a ‘slightly thick, balding ex-soldier’ while Meghan would be a ‘moderately attractive, not very successful ex-actress’.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
