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It was the idyllic location where they enjoyed a secret courtship of five months before their relationship was broadcast to the world. And so it was little surprise when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose to make Canada a more permanent home. Yet what was initially designed simply to be a secure base for the Duke and Duchess, soon became the location where they would carefully craft their exit from the Firm. In October 2019, Harry and Meghan announced they were due to take an extended break from Royal duties for some 'much-needed family time'. It was later confirmed by Kensington Palace that the pair had been spending their time away from the spotlight in Canada and, rather than celebrating with the Royal Family at Sandringham, they would be spending the festive period with Meghan's mother, Doria. But rather than being a mere hiatus, their Canadian retreat was to serve as a strategic planning base for their bombshell exit from Royal duties, later dubbed 'Megxit'. As the pair settled into Mille Fleurs - their $14million waterfront mansion set on Vancouver Island, Meghan, who was now set in the same time zone as Los Angeles, was finally free to 'resume her business activities' and wasted no time in doing so. Royal author Tom Bower explains in his book, Revenge, how upon the Royal couple's arrival in Canada, Megan was 'in constant communication' with a tactical team of supporters. These included 'Andrew Meyer, her business manager, Rick Genow, her lawyer, and Keleigh Thomas Morgan and others at Sunshine Sachs', a public relations company that had formed a close relationship with Meghan since her acting career. But most important to Meghan, Mr Bower adds, was continuing her ongoing negotiations with Netflix and Spotify, alongside re-registering Frim Fram Inc, the company behind her lifestyle blog, the Tig, which she ran for almost three years. Far from the relaxed holiday in their idyllic Canadian holiday home, the Duchess was, in reality, working avidly in a desperate attempt to plan for the Sussexes future. She re-registered Frim Fram Inc on October 22 of that year in the US state of Delaware, alongside her and Harry's new Archwell Foundation in the same state. Meanwhile, the Sussexes' long-term attorney, Richard Genow, also registered a corporation called Loving Kindness Senior Care Management Inc in Delaware. But rather than a coincidence, this was a deliberate and indeed smart business move. 'Delaware guaranteed secrecy for corporations' financial activities and accounts', Mr Bower explains. In keeping with the Duchess's business-savvy attitude, Sussex Royal, which set out the work streams of Harry and Meghan, applied for trademarks for a number of products that included sportswear, pens and 'emotional support services'. Yet, while rumours slowly began to circulate of a growing rift between the Sussexes and the remainder of the Firm, few knew of Meghan and Harry's long-term plan to eventually relocate to California. And any eagle-eyed Royal fanatics were perhaps slightly preoccupied by Prince Andrew's notorious BBC TV Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis to discuss his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Unbeknown to the world, as Mr Bower aptly points out, 'the curtain was rising on another crisis', with the late Queen forced to quickly scramble in a desperate bid to preserve the remaining members of the Family. And so by Christmas Day 2019, cracks were beginning to show in the fairytale family that just months previously had welcomed Meghan with open arms. When the late Monarch delivered her annual festive message to the nation, there was glaringly obvious exception from the display of family images sat beside her - an early indication of the Sussexes impending exit. Since the first televised Queen's Christmas broadcast in 1957, each one had been meticulously planned, including, of course, the curation of family photographs strategically placed on the desk at her side or on tables close at hand. Their purpose, however, does not change – to indicate her thoughts on things which have special meaning, and 2019 was no exception. While there had been rumblings of disagreements and unhappiness by Meghan and Harry for a while, the Queen's binding to the long-lasting royal mantra of 'never complain, never explain' meant she had no ability to speak on family matters to the public. The subtext of the Sussexes evaporation was clear, with royal expert Tina Brown claiming their image had been 'excised as skillfully as Stalin would have done to an apparatchik out of favour'. Although a wedding photo of Prince Harry and Meghan had been in the Queen's background the year before, in December 2019 only those in the direct line of succession made the cut. The Sussexes, alongside young Prince Archie had, Mr Bower been 'airbrushed from history'. Then came the official release of the new Royal portrait to welcome in the new decade, reflecting a 'slimmed-down' version of the Monarchy that included the first three heirs to the throne. Smiling earnestly into the camera in the regal setting was the late Queen, then Prince Charles, Prince William and the young Prince George. Crucially, there was no sign of Prince Harry or his son, Archie. And, according to Mr Bower, this was to be a deliberate choice. Aware that the future of the Monarchy could be in jepoardy, she 'took control'. 'The irritants, especially Andrew and Harry, would be removed earlier than planned', he wrote. And perhaps in an additional bid to throw people off the scent, the couple took to their now-defunct Instagram account on December 31 to share an adorable image of Prince Harry with a young Prince Archie by the water in Vancouver. It was accompanied by a message of well wishes for their followers that read: 'Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and thanking you for your continued support!' Then, on January 7, the Royal couple returned from their Canadian break to visit Canada House in London and personally thank the country's High Commissioner for the hospitality they received. Rather poignantly, they left their infant son and two dogs behind. Marking their first, and what was to ultimately be one of their last, official engagements of the new decade, they sought to publicly extend their gratitude to the Commonwealth country for hosting them during such a lengthy private break over Christmas. But their time away in Canada was, it turned out, simply a flavour of what was to come - the following day, Harry and Meghan announced they were to step back from senior Royal duties. ‘After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,’ the couple posted to their Instagram page. ‘We intend to step back as “senior” members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.’ They went on to declare their plans to divide their time between the UK and North America, and to ‘focus on the next chapter’, carving out a new progressive role for themselves. It turned out to be a bitter end to the short-lived love affair Britain had enjoyed with Meghan Markle, who had injected a Californian can-do attitude to the monarchy. The decision also marked the beginning of the end of Harry’s once inseparable relationship with his brother Prince William. There had been rumblings about Meghan and Harry's unhappiness for a while, and after splitting their household from William's in March 2019 they had continued to express a desire to do things differently. In October that year, Meghan did a headline-grabbing interview with ITV in South Africa where she confessed things had 'really been a struggle'. Behind the scenes, there were fraught negotiations about their wish for a new, autonomous place in royal life. But few could have predicted that Canada would have become the base for such a tumultuous decision that saw the state of the Monarchy transformed forever. Their bold move to step back from Royal duties forced the Queen to summon him and her heirs, Charles and William, for a round table discussion to discuss the future of the monarchy on January 13. As the eyes of the world turned on the unprecedented event, it was grandly dubbed 'The Sandringham Summit' by the press, as a slew of media vans and satellite dishes descended on the area to cover the monumental moment. It was there that it was officially announced Harry and Meghan would be stepping down. Though there was initial speculation that the pair could be set to relocate to Canada, this was swiftly squashed as they began to set up their new lives in a sprawling Montecito mansion in California. Yet their connection to Canada has remained pivotal in the years since they departed the UK and were eventually forced to cut ties with their former Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage. Speaking earlier this year ahead of the Invictus Games set to be hosted in Vancouver and Whistler, the Prince shared how Canada 'has been really, really good to my wife over all these years and has been really good to us as well'. Outlining his deep adoration for the country, Harry even provided a more detailed insight into their lives in Canada during that brief 'hiatus' period in which they plotted their exit. It seems rather unsurprising that the country holds such poignancy for the Prince given it was where he made the landmark decision to walk away from the life he had always known. Detailing that brief period, the Prince added: 'Certainly, in 2020, it was amazing for us to be in Canada – Vancouver Island – with Archie and be able to go for hikes in amongst the local town and feel protected by them. 'We were there for more than six weeks before anybody found out. We were bumping into people the whole time. Nobody told anybody. I guess they told other people but there's not much media or a pap culture on Vancouver Island.' Perhaps as a direct result of their strategic planning while in Canada, the Sussexes have since carved out a life for themselves featuring Netflix shows, books, lifestyle brands and numerous other charitable projects. And though the couple bid their Canadian life farewell shortly after the bombshell Megxit announcement, it seems they will always maintain a strong connection with the country that first fostered their freedom from the Firm.
