The Sussex family ended 2019 on a quiet note, choosing to spend the festive season away from the British tabloids, after a year filled with more obstacles than anyone could have predicted for the newest royal family unit.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan took six weeks off between November and the beginning of January, spending Thanksgiving with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland in California, and later having a low-key Christmas in Canada, on Vancouver Island, a popular spot favoured by celebrities including singer Nelly Furtado and Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall.
And now it’s been revealed the Duke and Duchess will carry out their first official royal duties for 2020, giving royal fans their first glimpse of the couple (and hopefully baby Archie!) in the new decade.
On Tuesday (or Wednesday morning Australian time), Harry and Meghan will visit Canada House in London, where they will meet with the High Commissioner in Canada to the UK, Janice Charette, and other government staff to thank them for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their stay in the country.
They will also meet different members of the High Commission team who work in a range of sectors supporting the partnership between Canada and the UK.
The couple will then visit the Canada Gallery to view a special exhibition by Indigenous Canadian artist, Skawennati.
Meghan and Harry will make their first official royal appearance for 2020 tomorrow.
(Getty)In late December, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming Harry and Meghan were visiting Canada, a decision that “reflects the importance of this Commonwealth country to them both.”
“The Duke of Sussex has been a frequent visitor to Canada over many years, and it was also home to The Duchess for seven years before she became a member of the Royal Family,” the statement said.
“They are enjoying sharing the warmth of the Canadian people and the beauty of the landscape with their young son.”
Meghan spent years living and working in Toronto while filming Suits, and it’s where the Duke and Duchess spent the first few months of their relationship, hiding undercover from the world’s press as they tried to keep their new blossoming romance a secret.
The couple were officially welcomed into the country by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who released a statement on Twitter on December 20.
During their low-key holiday on Vancouver Island, Harry and Meghan were spotted hiking and jogging by locals around the island’s popular walking tracks.
In fact, they managed to come to the rescue of a young couple, Iliya Pavlovic and Asymina Kantorowicz, who were battling to take photos of themselves with a selfie stick in the Horth Hill Regional Park last week, when Meghan offered to take a photo for them, just in time.
“She starts asking if we want her to take a photo for us. We said sure. I didn’t see who she was at that time.” Asymina told local news station CTV News.
Asymina didn’t recognise the Duchess at first, but then recognised another member of the walking group as actress Abigal Spencer, one of Meghan’s co-stars from Suits.
“I thought she looked familiar, but didn’t think it could actually be her,” Asymina added.
The official Sussex family Christmas card, featuring baby Archie front and centre!
(Credit: Supplied)Suddenly, she realised it was the Duchess of Sussex who was taking her photo.
“I froze up. I actually couldn’t believe who it was. Then I looked over to the side and that’s when I realised Prince Harry was standing there. I kept looking back and forth like, ‘Is this actually happening?’
“In that moment the only thing I could think to say, ‘There’s only so much that selfie sticks can do’. She laughed and responded with something like, ‘We’ll have to do better,’ and then Harry said, ‘No pressure.’
“She handed the phone back and said, ‘Happy New Year!’ and we said, ‘Thanks and Happy New Year!” the Victoria woman said. “Then we kind of turned to each other laughed and said, ‘Did that just happen?’ I still can’t believe it. It feels like a dream.”
WATCH BELOW: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan share their favourite moments of 2019. Story continues after video.
In November it was revealed that Harry, Meghan and Archie would not be spending Christmas with The Queen and the rest of the royal family, and would be absent from Her Majesty’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch, as well as the trip to Sandringham to attend church on Christmas Day.
It’s not uncommon for the royals to skip this tradition, however.
Duchess Catherine and Prince William have done the same previously, opting to spend the day with Kate’s mother and father in Buckleberry in 2016.
