The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made headlines when it was revealed the couple wouldn’t be spending their Christmas with the royals at Sandringham this year. Prince Harry and Meghan decided to spend the holidays with the duchess’s mother Doria Ragland after the pair spent the previous two Christmases with Harry’s side of the family. There was speculation the couple were in LA, Meghan’s hometown, but it was revealed last week they were choosing to spend time in Canada.
The Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have given Harry and Meghan a lovely warm welcome via Twitter but when the couple’s security team reached out to reserve a table at a restaurant in Vancouver Island, the request was turned down.
The owner of the Deep Cove Chalet, Bev Koffel told the Vancouver Sun that she met the Duke and Duchess’s security team last week. But her husband, chef Pierre Koffel, who co-owns the restaurant, felt he had to turn down the reservation due to the tight security involved in accommodating the young royals.
Bev isn’t giving up on a chance to interact with Harry and Meghan, however. She bought two books she had planned to send to the couple and hopes to give them in person, saying, 'I hope to meet them one day. I hope they get my books.' She also told the paper that she hopes they’ll call again when she’s by the phone instead of her husband, adding: 'For us to be so lucky to have them in the area, how lucky is that?'
Bev wished the Sussexes well during their time in Vancouver, adding 'I wish them all the privacy they can possibly get. They deserve it.' She revealed that Harry had been spotted hiking locally.
Their decision to spend Christmas away from Sandringham drew a bit of fire despite other royals such as the Tindalls and the Cambridges spending Christmas away, but a statement released earlier indicated that the Queen was fine with the decision. Buckingham Palace released another statement about the Duke and Duchess’s presence in Canada which emphasised the significance of their choice of Winter holiday destination. Canada is a member of the Commonwealth and the Duke and Duchess are president and vice-president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, respectively.
READ MORE: The Royals' Christmas Day Looks