Oh, Canada! Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are getting back to work after their holiday hiatus and paying tribute to the country that showed them “hospitality” in December 2019.
The royal couple will resume their duties for the new year on Tuesday, January 7, a royal source tells Us Weekly.
“Harry and Meghan’s first public engagement of 2020 will be a visit to Canada House in London,” the source told Us on Monday, January 6.
The pair, who wed in May 2018, will use this engagement to “thank Janice Charette, [Canada’s High Commissioner to the U.K.], and her staff for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada,” the royal insider added.
The source continued: “While there, Harry and Meghan will take in a special exhibition by artist Skawennati and will meet with various members of the High Commission team who work to support the partnership between Canada and the U.K.”
Prince Harry, Meghan and the couple’s 7-month-old son, Archie, flew to Toronto in December 2019 to celebrate the holidays alongside the Duchess of Sussex’s mother, Doria Ragland.
Their stay in an eight-bedroom, waterfront estate was partially thanks to a hookup by David Foster and his wife, Katherine McPhee, who helped the family find a low-key spot to spend their holiday getaway.
“I felt honored that I was able to help Meghan there, because I’m a Canadian and we’re a commonwealth country. We’re the Crown’s,” Foster, 70, told the Daily Mail on Friday, January 3. “It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment. I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off.”
McPhee, 35, goes way back with the duchess — the two were schoolmates. Last January, the Smash alum shared an old photo of herself with the former actress. “Meghan and I did musicals together as kids,” the American Idol alum wrote at the time. “She grew up to be the Duchess of Sussex and I grew up to star on the West End, so same life if you ask me. #TBT.”
The royal lovebirds used their break to rest and reflect on their first year as parents.
“They’re using their time off to reset and spend quality time as a family,” a source told Us exclusively in December 2019. “After a turbulent year, it’s just what the doctor ordered.”
A second source revealed that they also went to Canada to see the Suits alum’s best friend Jessica Mulroney and according to a fan sighting the two spent time with Suits actress Abigail Spencer as well.
A separate insider told Us that the couple’s son was spoiled during his first Christmas, which was spent in North America and not the usual celebration with Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family at the Sandringham estate in England. “They bought him books, building blocks, a baby ball pit,” the source shared. “It’s not all about extravagant gifts for them.”
