I have new neighbors. Hopefully it's only temporary, as the Paparazzi and "Strangelings" are creeping everybody out.
Global 'feeding frenzy' angers new neighbours of Prince Harry and Meghan
Alia DharssiAFP
Published Tuesday, January 21, 2020 11:22AM EST
VICTORIA --
The new neighbours have been spotted out hiking and down at the farmers' market, but residents of North Saanich say they will ensure privacy for Harry and Meghan at their new Canadian hideaway.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their baby son Archie, are living at the scenic, wooded property of Mille Fleurs on Vancouver Island after exiting from their royal roles.
They planned their shock announcement while staying over Christmas and New Year at the luxurious multi-million-dollar house, which is tucked away behind tall trees and a dark metal gate at the end of a private road.
And the couple are now back together there after Harry finalized the details of their new life and flew back from London.
Residents walking dogs on a path near the house told AFP that they opposed intrusion into Harry and Meghan's new Canadian setup, and were proud of the local instinct to give them space.
"We don't like it. Leave them in peace," said Anne Girling, adding she had met Meghan jogging on a trail nearby and they wished one another "Good morning."
Sue Starkey, another dog walker, said it felt special when she heard baby Archie had experienced his first snow in the neighbourhood.
She described the area as a "really friendly" community.
"What I've been really proud of is how our neighbourhood has been so respectful and giving them space. And, you know, not getting over the top and trying to peek in," she said.
"I'm really happy they're here and I hope they can find some peace."
Attention is 'Not Canadian'
Locals often walk through a patch of forest just steps away from the home as an occasional seagull and bald eagle wheels overhead.
Businesses where Harry and Meghan have dropped in, including the Fickle Fig Farm Market and the Deep Cove Market, declined interview requests from AFP.
In Sidney, a small seaside town a short drive away, Rachel Remouch, a university student and barista at a coffee shop, said she saw Harry and Meghan hiking in Horth Hill, a popular forest park.
"It's hard for a small town trying to keep it quaint and peaceful. We're not used to big frenzies," she said, adding people naturally kept their distance from the couple.
"I think it's really cool they're really sticking up for themselves, trying to separate themselves from the monarchy. She reminds me a lot of Diana."
A smiling Meghan was photographed with Archie taking their dogs for a walk in Horth Hill on Monday.
Another local, Laurie Kelly, said she was unhappy how North Saanich had found itself at the center of global attention.
"It's not Canadian," she said. "We're all about giving people space, the freedom to live, enjoy our beautiful country.
"They've chosen to come here, so it should be an honour. Instead it's a feeding frenzy ... None of us are happy about it. I feel strongly we need to let them be and live their lives."
But Meghan and Harry may not be in North Saanich for long.
According to local reports, the couple are looking to buy a beachside house in Vancouver or possibly in Toronto.
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A shielded gate at the entrance of Meghan and Prince Harry's temporary home in North Saanich, B.C. (AFP)
Denizens of Vancouver Island say they have no desire to intrude on the privacy of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and hope royal watchers will follow their lead.
www.ctvnews.ca
During the month of December, there was a lot of Security and black SUV's in our little town. There are several celebrity types living here off and on, and lots of "Hallmark Christmas Movies" are filmed here, so the townsfolk all tend to just ignore them.
Store owner hugs, invites Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex to dinner during Sidney shopping trip
Sixth in line to the British throne, Prince Harry and family spent Christmas on Saanich Peninsula
WOLF DEPNER
Jan. 9, 2020 5:00 p.m.
Sidney entrepreneur Chris Stephen still remembers the day when Diana, Princess of Wales, and her companion Dodi Fayed died in a car crash on Aug. 31, 1997.
“I lost my mind,” she said. “I had three boys and two of my boys were of the same age as Harry and William [Diana’s children]. So as a mother, the thought of those little boys being without a mom, it was just really devastating, and Harry has in a slight way always reminded me of my middle son. So I always felt an odd little connection to him.”
Five days before Christmas that connection became real, when two men entered Stephen’s Sidney store, Lilaberry Home & Decor. She did not pay much attention to them. “For all intents and purposes, it looked just like two buddies out to do some Christmas shopping,” she said.
“They were wandering around like typical guys, with their deer-in-the-headlights-look,” she added later. “I took pity on them, and that is when I stepped in. I think I teased them about being typical last-minute shoppers. Mind you, five days before Christmas for a man is pretty good.”
Stephen was demonstrating a scarf when it started to dawn on her that she might be having a conversation with somebody famous. During this demonstration, one of the men asked whether it was really fur, a question that made her indignant.
“I sort of said, ‘No, I wouldn’t be selling it if it was real fur,’” said Stephen. “I looked at him as I was saying this, and I thought to myself, ‘why does this guy have his toque pulled down and why does he have his mouth covered up with his jacket?’ Actually, at one point, I almost reached over to pull down the front of jacket, so I could hear him talking.”
It turns out the person mumbling into his clothing was none other than Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, sixth in line of succession to the British throne, and one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, thanks in part to his marriage to American actress Meghan Markle.
The couple, along with their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, spent the Christmas holidays at a waterfront estate in North Saanich, drawing much coverage in the British tabloid media, but generally collective shrugs from local media and local residents, with the odd report of residents running into the royal couple hiking.
But Stephen did not yet put one and one together. In fact, Stephen first thought that she was standing opposite Prince Harry’s uncle Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who had generated devastatingly bad headlines following an interview discussing his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a dead American billionaire, convicted of sex trafficking.
The man accompanying Prince Harry was a member of his security detail, who asked Stephen to continue the conversation with Prince Harry in the store’s backroom.
Once there, Prince Harry teased Stephen.
“The first thing out of his mouth, he said, ‘I can’t believe you said I look like Prince Andrew,’” said Stephen. “I said to him, ‘I’m so sorry, I just had a moment. ’ And then he said to me, ‘I was trying to disguise my accent and sound Canadian.’ And said, yeah, you didn’t do a very good job.’”
But for all the teasing, the brief conversation also included a touching moment.
“I looked at him and said, ‘Oh, my God, you are such a lovely boy, I have to hug, and it is from your mom,’” said Stephen. “I just needed to do a mom hug.”
Stephen said she was totally unconscious of the fact that she was hugging Prince Harry. “I’m hugging a young man, who lost his mom,” she said. “I am a mom and it just felt so good to pass on that truly heart-felt love.”
In a way, the hug was Stephen’s Christmas present to Prince Harry. “It was my Christmas gift as well, and the only difference between hugging him and hugging one of my sons is that he didn’t go ‘gross’ and pull away.’ He took it very kindly. He took it very graciously. He took it like a man.”
She also invited him to Christmas dinner in her home. “It is not a castle, but it’s cozy,” she said.
Stephen, who did not take a picture of her encounter with Prince Harry, but has shared stills of surveillance camera footage, said Prince Harry could not have been more gracious. “He had no airs about it, he wasn’t stuffy, he wasn’t cocky.”
In the end, Prince Harry left Stephen’s store with bag full of “typical” Christmas items, but also a toy otter Stephen gifted for the prince’s son. So can Stephen say how much money he had spent?
“No, I don’t think that is anybody’s business,” she said with a laugh.
So what sort of economic impact does she expect from the media attention that the visit of the couple generated for the Peninsula? It is hard to say, she said. “It is a good tourism piece.”
The fact that Prince Harry and his family could have gone anywhere in the world, yet chose the Saanich Peninsula says a lot about the natural beauty of the region and how respectful the residents are, said Stephen, who would like another chance to meet him.
“I want Harry to come back,” she said. “I always felt a special affection towards him.”
Who knows. After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s announcement that they would step back as senior members of the royal family and split their time between the United Kingdom and North America, Stephen may yet get another opportunity.
Sixth in line to the British throne, Prince Harry and family spent Christmas on Saanich Peninsula
www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com
This gave me such a laugh....
