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Meghan's week in Canada sets clear intentions for the royal couple's future

The Duchess, pictured here at Canada House in London, wasted no time in getting down to business in Vancouver - PA
The Duchess, pictured here at Canada House in London, wasted no time in getting down to business in Vancouver - PA

The Duchess of Sussex could not have been clearer this week in expressing her intentions for the future.

She is going to do things her own way, with her own “team” who will carefully control her public image and determine what and how is presented to the world.

Having left her husband, Prince Harry, 35, in the UK to begin the complex negotiations over their break away from the Royal Family, the Duchess wasted no time in getting down to business, visiting two charities in Vancouver - Justice For Girls and the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre.

These were “private” visits and as such, did not appear on the Court Circular. They did however, by no accident, appear in the public domain.

Zoe Craig-Sparrow, a co-director of Justice For Girls, which "promotes health, well-being, equal rights and freedom from violence for teenage girls who live in poverty," has revealed that photographs taken of the Duchess with members of her staff were taken by one of her “team”.

A photo released by the Canadian non-profit organisation Justice for Girls shows the Duchess of Sussex visiting the organisation in Vancouver
A photo released by the Canadian non-profit organisation Justice for Girls shows the Duchess of Sussex visiting the organisation in Vancouver

The visit was made public only when the charity published those pictures on Twitter and only when the Duchess had apparently approved the text and given them the green light.

Asked whether they had run the tweets past their royal visitor, Ms Craig-Sparrow told the Telegraph: “Yeah, and we wanted to ensure that what we were putting forward was an accurate representation of the meeting - we thought it went really well, but obviously we want to make sure that was reciprocated.”

On why the tweet was delayed for almost a day, she added: “It was really important to us that it’s a positive working relationship, and really addressing the issues was important. Not getting it out as soon as possible. We wanted to make sure that we could properly capture our meaning and that we were ready to handle the inevitable calls that we would be receiving.”

During the visit, the Duchess was presented with an 18ct gold whale tail necklace worth around £1,300 designed by Hollie Bartlett, a First Nations artist, and immediately donned it for a photograph.

Miss Bartlett, who is a member of the Haisla Nation, hand-picked the piece from her collection at Vancouver's Douglas Reynolds Gallery, which specialises in historic and contemporary northwest coast native art.

The Duchess visits the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre - Credit:  Facebook
The Duchess visits the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre Credit: Facebook

Justice for Girls revealed details of the visit the day after another charity, the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, revealed that they too had enjoyed an unannounced visit from the Duchess - on Tuesday the day after the crunch Sandringham summit convened by the Queen to discuss the Sussex’s future.

Kate Gibson, director of the refuge, revealed she had received a "mysterious" email from a Hotmail account from an "assistant" to the Duchess, asking if a VIP could drop in the following day.

The subsequent visit was apparently designed to "offer support" and to "boost the staff's spirits."

It emerged on Friday  that the Duchess, 38, did not visit the refuge itself or meet with any of the hundreds of vulnerable women who use the facility but rather, met staff at one of its administrative offices in a former hotel building.

Jessica Mulroney and Meghan Markle in 2016 - Credit:  George Pimentel/ WireImage
Jessica Mulroney and Meghan Markle in 2016 Credit: George Pimentel/ WireImage

It is perhaps a coincidence that the refuge is linked to a charity initiative called the Shoebox Project, co-founded by one of her close friends, Jessica Mulroney.

Unusually, neither visit has been announced on the Sussex Royal Instagram account, which is used by the couple to inform their followers of the work they undertake.

But the manner in which they were orchestrated is indicative of how the Sussexes are likely to conduct themselves in the future.

Their new rules of engagement, as outlined on their new Sussex Royal website, will see traditional royal reporters cast aside in favour of “specialist media”, “young up-and-coming" reporters and outlets they consider “credible”.

The website was launched 10 days ago, just as the Sussexes announced that they planned to step back from their lives as senior royals and become financially independent.

But barely a week later, defence papers in the Duchess’s legal action action against the Mail on Sunday for breach of privacy, copyright and data protection, were lodged at the High Court, laying bare her deteriorating relationship with her father.

If the case goes to trial, it is likely that Thomas Markle will testify against his daughter and the Duchess will be forced to give evidence in support of her claim which will pit her directly against her father.

The action was ostensibly designed to protect the Duchess's privacy after the newspaper published extracts of a letter she had sent to her father.

But it looks likely to have the adverse effect, spilling intimate family secrets in court.

It will also raise questions about the level of privacy that should be afforded to a couple who trade on their public image and use the media when it suits them.

Meghan Markle with her father, Thomas
Meghan Markle with her father, Thomas

The judge will be asked to examine whether the Duchess was an architect of her own breach of privacy with the defence alleging she allowed a coterie of close friends to speak to a US magazine on her behalf, revealing as they did so the existence of the letter.

The Mail on Sunday argues that the Duchess sent the handwritten missive “with a view to it being read by third parties and/or disclosed to the public,” describing it as “an admonishment” of her father for failing to behave as she would have wished.

Its defence documents allege that the letter was written to paint her and her previous conduct “in the best possible light.”

They add: “It makes multiple accusations against Mr Markle and multiple self-congratulatory remarks about the Claimant.”

The issues likely to be raised in the looming case will prompt questions about the timing of the Sussex’s announcement that they no longer wish to receive public funding or remain senior members of the Royal Family.

The line the couple chooses to tread between traditional royal public duty and celebrity is a fine one and will ultimately determine how much privacy they might legitimately be able to demand.

Meanwhile, as senior royals thrash out a blueprint for the Sussex’s future, Meghan appears determined to plough ahead under her own steam.

Meghan pictured with Heather Dorak in a picture from Instagram
Meghan pictured with Heather Dorak in a picture from Instagram

She was joined at her Canadian hideaway on Vancouver Island last week by Heather Dorak, a Pilates instructor and entrepreneur who she once described as a "little blonde guru".

The Duchess beamed as she drove herself to the airport to pick up her friend in a black Land Rover Discovery on Thursday, accompanied by a member of her security staff.

Many noted that she appeared delighted to be free of the royal confines that a friend has claimed she found “soul crushing”.

It remains to be seen whether she ever will make a return to the UK and the ”toxic environment” she so desperately wanted to escape.