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The splits in society regarding Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down as senior royals were what made their decision so interesting. To those of us who had inside information as to what was really going on, it was fascinating to see how even well-placed people like the Canadian Prime Minister could rush in and get things gloriously wrong amidst this societal tangle of approval and disapproval. Harry and Meghan’s announcement, which had come like a bolt out of the blue and wrong-footed the Royal Family, contained so much layering that was perceived as being disrespectful or tactical, that only naive, unsophisticated or blinkered people could have read it and thought the cover revealed the contents of the book. Yet Meghan and Harry’s good friend Justin Trudeau made the comment that Canada would not only welcome them if they chose to move there, but would share the cost of their security with the British while they were in Canada.
The ensuing hue and cry from politicians and public alike made it clear that the Canadians did not want to pay anything for the privilege of having Meghan and Harry in their midst. Their rebuke of the Prime Minister’s generous offer was embarrassing, and some politicians went even further, stating that the Canadian monarchy works well because the royals only visit; they do not reside there.
This never used to be the case. Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise and her husband the Marquis of Lorne, later 9th Duke of Argyll, lived in Canada while he was Governor General, and so did Queen Mary’s brother the Earl of Athlone and his wife Princess Alice of Albany, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. So too did the former Prince Alastair, 2nd Duke of Connaught, grandson of King Edward VII, who not only lived in Ottawa for three years while aide-de-camp to Lord Athlone, but froze to death when he fell out of an open window at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General, while drunk during the Second World War. But much had changed since Lord Athlone departed as Governor-General in 1946. The Canadians no longer wanted members of the Royal Family residing in Canada. In an editorial published in The Globe and Mail on the 13th January, 2020, this was spelt out clearly and extensively, ending with the following paragraphs:
‘… . . Canada kept the monarchy, and a head of state we share with various Commonwealth countries. The head of state’s representatives here are the governor-general and the provincial lieutenant-governors, who perform essential duties from opening parliaments to deciding who gets a form of government in minority situations. They’re as close as Canada comes to having resident royalty, but they’re not royalty. Instead, they’re merely temporary avatars for a virtual monarch who remains permanently ensconced across the sea.
‘Furthermore, since the 1950s, governors-general have always been Canadians. Princes are not shipped over here when no useful duties can be found for them on the other side of the Atlantic.
‘The Sussexes are working out their own personal issues, and Canadians wish them the best of luck. Canada welcomes people of all faiths, nationalities and races, but if you’re a senior member of our Royal Family, this country cannot become your home.
‘The government should make that clear. There can be no Earl Sussex of Rosedale and no Prince Harry of Point Grey. Canada is not a halfway house for anyone looking to get out of Britain while remaining royal.’
This neatly encapsulated the view of many Canadians, while also going straight to the core of the dilemma. While the Canadians felt for Harry in his quest to move away from royal life, he was not welcome to do it in Canada. Although Meghan and Harry’s stepping back was huge news, and the reactions sufficiently mixed to allow each side room for manoeuvre, behind the scenes the family stepped in to contain the fallout to the monarchy and to eliminate the possibility of long term damage, even for the couple themselves. Harry and Meghan, of course, had no intention of residing permanently in Canada, but, being skilful tacticians who understood that their radical decamping from the United Kingdom would be more tolerable if their ultimate destination of California could be concealed beneath the fig leaf of a desire to reside in a Commonwealth country, they were still allowing everyone to suppose that they would end up in Canada. This had constitutional implications, but these were less than the public and press might have realised, because Harry is simply not high enough up the line of succession. At his most important he was merely the spare, and once William had his first child, he ceased being even that. By 2020, he was the fourth spare after the three Cambridge children. Nevertheless, he was still a member of the Royal Family, still beloved, and still someone whose conduct could damage the monarchy and potentially himself. Moreover, what he was allowed to do now would set precedents which could impact upon Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Cambridge, so it was important to get things right.
The Queen took matters into her own hands. Within the family, she has always had a secondary role to Prince Philip. However, where her function as Sovereign is concerned, she has consistently jealously guarded her turf, allowing no interference from any member of the family, including the forceful husband she otherwise deferred to, or the domineering mother from whose shadow she emerged only
