Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived for their first public appearance as a couple since King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was announced last week.
The couple are in the picturesque ski resort of Whistler, in British Columbia, Canada, for a two-day program to mark next year’s Invictus Games, which are taking place in the city.
Meghan looked glamorous in skinny white jeans and a jumper topped with a beige padded jacket, while Harry was dressed in jeans and a black anorak as he arrived for a training session with athletes planning to compete in the 2025 Games.
The pair left the gondola on Whistler’s Blackcomb Mountain shortly after 2:30 p.m. and were introduced to three groups of adaptive skiers: an Alpine sit ski, an upright ski and a group of visually impaired athletes.
Meghan looked glamorous in skinny white jeans and a jumper topped with a beige padded jacket, while Harry was dressed in jeans and a black anorak
Meghan, 42, was clearly having a great time despite temperatures hovering around freezing
The couple arrived in Canada on Tuesday and will stay until Friday, when they will fly back to their home in California
A film crew was seen joining the Sussexes as they arrived for a day of sit-skiing
Alex Cairns, a sit skier from Canada, was the first to meet the Sussexes and give a demonstration of the sport – arriving at the foot of the slope to Harry’s cheers.
The Whistler games will be the first time Invictus has offered winter sports.
The couple arrived in Canada on Tuesday and were photographed by DailyMail.com landing in Vancouver just after noon Pacific Time after a two-hour flight from Santa Barbara – the closest airport to their home in Montecito.
A convoy of cars picked up the famous duo and took them to Whistler, where they will be Wednesday and Thursday before returning to Vancouver on Friday for an event in the City of Glass.
The couple are then expected to travel home to California on Friday afternoon to be reunited with their children Archie, five, and Lilibet, two.
Meghan and Harry’s appearance at Whistler comes amid controversy over the Sussexes’ relaunched website
Meghan’s updated biography on the site highlighted her credentials as a philanthropist, but made only one mention of her acting past and none of the royal family.
On Wednesday, Meghan released a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple’s new website
The site features Harry’s 358-word biography which highlights his environmental achievements – despite his penchant for using private jets
Critics said the website is an attempt to cash in on the couple’s royal connections
Their trip to Canada comes as the couple are embroiled in a series of controversies – one over their new Sussex.com website and another over Harry’s flying visit to London last week to see King Charles following his cancer diagnosis.
On Wednesday, Meghan, 42, was forced to issue a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple’s new website, while Harry faced criticism over the short time he spent in Britain.
Harry’s journey to Britain began with a British Airways overnight flight from LAX that landed in London just after 2pm on February 6.
Once there, he was taken to Clarence House for a meeting with his cancer-stricken father, which lasted just 30 minutes and did not include his stepmother, Queen Camilla.
Harry just smiled as he was helped into the sit-ski
The upcoming Whistler games will mark the first time Invictus has offered winter sports
The Sussexes were arm in arm as they were taken to the slopes
The plane stayed in Vancouver for 39 minutes before departing again for Victoria, where it landed at 12:47 p.m.
Their current visit includes two days of meetings with competitors at Whistler ski area and another engagement in Vancouver on Friday
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in September 2023. The photo now appears on the homepage of sussex.com
The 39-year-old then spent the night in a hotel before catching a Delta flight back to LA – less than 24 hours after arriving.
Last week it was claimed that Prince Harry would have ‘happily accepted’ a reunion with his brother William, but opted to stay at his hotel.
It is believed that William, 41, remains focused on caring for his wife Kate, who is recovering from her abdominal surgery and is taking an extended leave of absence from public duties until after Easter.
Harry showed up in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, where he was a presenter at the NFL Honors Awards – a televised gala held at Sin City’s massive Resorts World hotel.
When presenting the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award to the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Cameron Heyward, he made a joke about rugby and told the crowd, “I really love how you stole rugby from us and made it your own.”
“Instead of passing it backwards, just passing it forwards. Why not wear pads and helmets? Naturally.
“Have an offense and a defense – that makes sense. Why not take a breather every 15 seconds? And you know what? Instead of a ten-month season, let’s make it 18 weeks. Genius.’
Despite his cheerful demeanor on stage, Harry later looked somber in the hotel’s underground parking garage and didn’t stick around to watch the Kansas City Chief beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.
The couple replaced their Archewell web page with a site called Sussex.com, which features their biographies and lists their recent activities.
Their ‘About’ page reads: ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy’
On Monday, the couple’s relaunched website featured Harry’s 358-word biography, which highlighted his environmental achievements – despite his penchant for using private jets.
Meghan’s longer biography emphasized her reputation as a philanthropist, but made only one mention of her acting past and none of the royal family.
Critics said the website is an attempt to cash in on the couple’s royal connections, leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.
Their About page reads: “The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.
‘This includes: the Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, companies and organizations that receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.’
The new look Sussex.com also made great use of Harry’s Invictus Games initiative, which returns next year with a snow sports edition in Whistler.
During the trip, the couple will meet competitors from the US, Canada, France, Ukraine and Nigeria at a training camp at the resort.