Sussexes take shelter in LA to beat border closure
BRITAIN’S Prince Harry and wife Meghan made their move to leave Canada and settle permanently in Los Angeles before the border between Canada and the United States was shut last week, according to reports.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a private flight from British Columbia to the Los Angeles area some time before Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump closed the border.
People magazine cited a source who said the couple and their 10-month-old son Archie were staying in a secluded compound in Meghan’s home city and had not ventured out.
The move from a mansion where they were staying on Vancouver Island wasn’t unexpected, given that Meghan, 38, has a huge support system in Los Angeles, including her mother,
Doria Ragland. Los Angeles also is the home base of the couple’s new team of Hollywood agents and public relations and business managers.
People and other outlets previously revealed that the couple had been inquiring about luxury real estate in the Los Angeles area, including a Malibu home with a swimming pool and tennis court.
But the couple’s apparent move to the US comes as Harry’s home country is facing its own coronavirus crisis, with his father Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson diagnosed with Covid-19. The Queen and Harry’s brother Prince William and his wife Kate are selfisolating at their homes at Windsor Castle and Anmer Hall, respectively.
Harry is determined to leave royal life behind and make a new life in California, according to People.
‘‘Harry is looking straight ahead at his future with his family,’’ another source told the magazine.
As the pandemic’s global reach became increasingly dire, the couple sought to speak to their Instagram followers.
‘‘Now, more than ever, we need each other. We need each other for truth, for support, and to feel less alone during a time that can honestly feel quite scary,’’ they wrote on Instagram last week. ‘‘Our willingness, as a people, to step up in the face of what we are all experiencing with Covid-19 is awe-inspiring. This moment is as true a testament there is to the human spirit.’’
Their decision to leave Canada will raise new questions about who will foot the sizeable costs for their security, as well as about Harry’s immigration status in the US.