Palace dismisses ‘speculation’ from friends that royal couple ‘could run their office from Canada’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s close confidant Tom Bradby says the couple are ‘considering their options in the future’ amid speculation they could move to Canada and even walk away from public life.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are rumoured to be looking at the option of relocating to the country for a significant portion of the year and sources say they may relinquish their HRH titles in the future.

The couple have recently returned from a six week break in Canada over the festive period, where they spent their first Christmas together as a family with baby Archie. 

Sources told The Sun that they will start discussing their plans with senior royals — expected to include the Queen and Prince Charles — in the coming days, but the Palace told MailOnline that they would not comment on ‘speculation.’ 

ITV News at Ten host Tom Bradby, close friends with the couple, told Good Morning Britain today that it was ‘no big secret’ that they have been considering what their future roles within the royal family will be.

Bradby, who spoke to the couple about the pressures they felt as members of the royal family in an ITV documentary in October, told GMB: ‘I don’t ask what their plans are. They keep that pretty close to their chest and understandably so.

‘I don’t think it’s a done deal, that would be my impression. There is a lot of talking to be done. ‘There is a million possibilities. They could go to Canada.’

The idea of relocating their office to Canada and the claims they are looking at the possibility of relinquishing their royal titles has sparked fresh speculation they could be considering withdrawing from public life. 

During the couple’s 10 day visit to Africa Meghan told Bradby how she found adjusting to royal life as ‘hard’ and Harry spoke about how what happened to his mother Princess Diana made him want to ‘protect’ his wife and family.

It comes as it emerged the royal diary doesn’t have any details of further engagements for the Duke and Duchess in the next month. Buckingham Palace told Mail Online that Harry and Meghan will be undertaking more royal events in the coming weeks, but were unable to confirm what they will be.  

Sources said that friends of the couple say they have been ‘sidelined’ by the monarchy, as they continue on their ‘unique path’.

A friend told The Sun: ‘It is true that Harry and Meghan will spend a fair amount of time in Canada over the next couple of months and possibly going forward too.

‘Right now they are starting talks with their family about their plans for the future. Those conversations are at a very early stage’.

The source also claimed that there was a ‘serious process’ the couple would have to go through and said changes could be varied.

‘That could include being based in Canada or the possibility of walking away from their HRH titles, although hopefully it will not come to that’, adding that ‘everything is on the table’. 

Another friend also revealed to The Sun that the couple have a strong base in the area. Meghan had lived there for seven years while filming Suits.

They also added that the couple are ‘not central’ to the future of the Royal family, but added that they still have a lot of work to do. 

It comes after the couple visited Canada House on Tuesday afternoon.

They visited in order to thank them for the warm hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada. 

The couple put on a public display of affection during their first appearance on Tuesday since embarking on a six-week hiatus from royal duties – to thank the people of Canada for hosting their private holiday. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex held hands and walked closely next to each other yesterday afternoon as they visited Canada House to meet the country’s High Commissioner in London, Janice Charette. 

They were warmly greeted by Ms Charette and her deputy Sarah Fountain Smith, after saying they wanted to meet staff to ‘thank them for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their recent stay’. 

The Sussexes spent their first Christmas with baby Archie in a £10.7 million eight-bedroom waterfront mansion owned by a mystery multi-millionaire in one of the most idyllic spots on Vancouver Island. 

Harry and Meghan travelled direct to the engagement from a private visit to The Hubb, the Grenfell community kitchen project in West London that the former actress collaborated with on the Together cookbook. 

They vowed to get stuck into work after returning ‘energised and excited’ from the holiday spent mostly in Canada. 

In a possible indication of the months ahead – with the Sussexes’ royal foundation expected to be launched this year – Harry said later about their chat with Ms Charette: ‘There’s a hell of a lot of work to be done and things to be talked through but a very useful conversation.’ 

However, the royal diary doesn’t have any details of further engagements for the Duke and Duchess in the next month. 

Buckingham Palace told MailOnline that Harry and Meghan will be undertaking more royal events in the coming weeks, but were unable to confirm what they will be. 

During their visit, Harry and Meghan were served the popular chocolate treat of Nanaimo bars from British Columbia. 

At the diplomatic mission, the couple, who took the holiday after struggling with the scrutiny that accompanies being high-profile members of the Royal Family, told staff about the wonderful hospitality, scenery and tranquillity they experienced in their country. 

Harry asked diplomats assembled on the central staircase: ‘Anyone here from British Columbia?’

When several shouted yes and put up their hands, he told them: ‘What a wonderful place you live in.

‘Thank you so much for having us – not that any of you had anything much to do with it,’ he said to laughter.

‘But the warmth and hospitality that we were shown while there was unbelievable, and that’s exactly why we chose to go out there. So thank you.’

He prompted further laughter by suggesting that Meghan would speak to them in French, much to her horror. ‘No!’ she said before telling the staff: ‘I want to say Happy New Year and thank you, and as my husband said, my goodness it was just such an incredible time we were able to have there and with our son too.

‘And just to be able to take in the warmth that we experienced from the people but also just to walk around and just see the beauty of Canada.

‘To see Archie go ‘ahhh’ when you walk by and just see how stunning it is, so it meant a lot to us…’

Aides said the couple, who were still jet-lagged and only got back very recently, had originally intended to divide their extended period of leave between the UK and the United States but then their plans changed and they decided to go to Canada to spend Christmas and New Year with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland and a number of friends. 

They never set foot in the US but their choice of holiday destination stayed secret until quite late in their break, allowing them to enjoy peace and tranquillity at the seaside just outside the city of Victoria, about 60 miles from Vancouver over on the mainland.

The couple, who held a team meeting with their staff at Buckingham Palace on Monday morning, have come back refreshed and have several public engagements in the diary for next week, a senior royal aide said.

Asked how the couple were, she said: ‘Invigorated, excited. The team were all excited to see them this morning. They were disappointed that none of us had sun tans.’

It rained quite a lot in British Columbia so they had no tans either, the aide said.

Sources said there was nothing to suggest so far that the couple, who have clashed with the media and attracted public criticism at times, had come back resolving to do things differently. 

Kilvir Buttar, an IT worker at Canada House, who spoke to the couple outside, told Meghan she was from Vancouver, where the couple stayed. Meghan told her she thought it was ‘so beautiful’.

Jamie Weare, another staff member at the High Commission, who was waving a flag on their arrival, added that Harry said they had enjoyed their trip but complained that ‘it rained all the time’.

Sumira Osman, a consular official, added: ‘They were lovely and so gracious. There was a real aura about them. We only found out about this visit at 2.30pm yesterday and it was such a surprise. It is a lovely gesture.’

It is understood that the couple flew in at the weekend from Canada. Aides confirmed the Daily’s Mail exclusive story that the couple had spent their entire six-week break in the country, including Thanksgiving. 

The visit came after it was announced by Buckingham Palace. It is unheard of for a royal to undertake a Court Circular-documented engagement to thank a country that wasn’t officially ‘hosting’ them.

The trip was classed as private and no official engagements took place. But Harry and Meghan have always made clear they like to cast aside convention and do what is least expected. 

The couple were last seen in public together on Remembrance Sunday in November when they joined other royals in London. Harry also undertook a subsequent solo public engagement.

They then disappeared from view with son Archie, now eight months, with a spokesman saying they were taking ‘extended family time’ after a year in which both admitted struggling with their royal roles.