Polite nation should steer clear of debate

IS CANADA setting itself up for a fall by hosting Harry and Meghan? By playing a part in the end of the British Monarchy?

While that’s an extreme view of the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to quit the “Firm”, it is possible. Nor is “crisis” too loaded a word to use. Whatever the Sussexes might have decided, Her Majesty The Queen considers the matter still up for discussion.

And there is certainly a lot to discuss. Money, for a start. Despite the Sussexes desire to “step back”, their new website is festooned with royal bells and whistles. If the Monarchy is such a pain, why keep its trappings?why not become mere mortals?

The answer is that the names “Harry” and “Meghan” only go so far without the Royal imprimatur.any “financial independence” will still be funded off the back of the Monarchy.

For this reason alone they can expect more rounds with the hated royal press.

A polite country like Canada should steer clear of the debate until everything is sorted, not play port in the storm while the divorce is still being negotiated.

That’s if the Sussexes end up in Canada. Canadians adore it when the Queen pops by.what’s less clear is whether they’ll support a permanent Royal presence.

Would a Harry and Meghan household in Canada – one that, say, incurred significant security costs – risk sparking republican sentiment, or a backlash in French-speaking Quebec?

Probably not – indeed, one expects they would be welcomed with open arms.

A little bit of caution is in order, though. A sensible country would encourage the Sussexes to come only when they’ve agreed an amicable separation.

When the time comes to write the obituary of the British Monarchy Canada doesn’t want to find itself with an outsized and unwanted starring role.