Harry, Meghan appear in public for first time since royal split

london — Britain’s Prince Harry made his first public appearance on Thursday since Queen Elizabeth acceded to the wishes of her grandson and his American wife Meghan to step back from their senior royal roles and seek a more independent future.

The prince, sixth-in-line to the throne, watched children playing rugby league in the back garden of Buckingham Palace ahead of making the draw for the sport’s World Cup next year.

The event is his last scheduled royal engagement before he and Meghan begin a ‘period of transition’ to their new roles.

Last week, Harry and former actress Meghan sparked a crisis in the British monarchy by announcing they wanted to reduce their royal duties and spend more time in North America, while also becoming financially independent.

The public announcement caught the rest of the royal family by surprise and left the queen and other senior Windsors hurt and disappointed, according to royal sources. A friend of Harry and Meghan said the couple felt they had been driven out.

Following a family summit on Monday at her Sandringham estate attended by Elizabeth, Harry, his elder brother Prince William and his father and heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, it was agreed that the couple would split their time between Britain and Canada.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle has made her first public appearance visiting two women’s charities in Vancouver as British media reported she could face her father in court.

The Duchess of Sussex on Tuesday visited the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, a non-profit organization that provides support to women who are fleeing violence, dealing with homelessness or living in poverty.

Meghan met with the director and a handful of frontline staff to discuss the challenges women in the neighbourhood are facing.

“She was very interested in what goes on for women in this community, who we all know are marginalized women who’ve faced many challenges and barriers to their wellbeing,” said Kate Gibson, the acting executive director of the centre. —

— AP NEW STEPS: Harry walks with Rugby League World Cup 2021 ambassador James Simpson in the gardens at Buckingham Palace in London, on Thursday, and (right) Meghan poses with staff members of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre during a visit to the shelter in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.