Did Canada’s Trudeau leave a Twitter clue?
THERE was speculation last night that Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have given a cryptic Twitter clue about the crisis that was about to engulf the Royal Family.
When news emerged that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had turned their back on Royal tradition and flown to Canada for Christmas, their powerful friend was one of the first to welcome them on social media.
He wrote: ‘You’re among friends, and always welcome here.’
Just weeks later, the Royal couple were looking to test that ‘always’ by announcing their move to Canada.
And the tweet has done little to dampen gossip in Embassy circles that Mr Trudeau was more aware of the Sussexes’ emigration plans than even their closest family.
Diplomatic sources claim Mr Trudeau and his wife Sophie were consulted about the decision late last year, before members of the Royal family and even the Queen.
Last night, the Canadian government did not respond when confronted about the claims, but sources close to the Sussexes denied they had discussed the move with Prime Minister Trudeau.
The Canadian First Couple and the Sussexes have been close friends, with Meghan and Sophie even sharing a stylist – Meghan’s best friend and sometime babysitter for Archie, Jessica Mulroney.
Prince Harry, 35, and Mr Trudeau, 48, are two of the younger fixtures on the world stage, with both men appearing to enjoy each other’s company at events such as Commonwealth commemorations.
The two have also encountered each other on multiple occasions through Prince Harry’s Invictus Games for disabled servicemen.
In May 2016, Prince Harry arrived in Toronto to promote the Invictus Games, which were to be held in the Canadian city the following year, with Mr Trudeau greeting him warmly and publicly praising him for his leadership of an ‘ extraordinary initiative’.
The following April, the pair were reunited again at the Vimy Ridge centenary commemorations, paying tribute together to the 3,600 Canadian soldiers killed in the First World War battle. The French media even dubbed Mr Trudeau, Prince Harry and Prince William ‘le trio sexy’ at the event.
In September 2017, when Meghan and Harry returned to make a joint public appearance at the Games, the Prince was again spotted laughing and joking with the young Canadian Prime Minister.
This led to speculation that the Trudeaus would attend Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018 – despite the Royal Household deciding against an official list of political leaders.
In the event, Mr Trudeau did not attend, but marked the day of the wedding with the announcement of a government donation of $50,000 to a sports-focused charity.