There’s been a lot of misinformation circulating about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s big move to Canada. This is rather ironic, considering that the entire reason that they are moving to BC is to avoid negative press and fake news.
In the past, Meghan Markle has had terrible encounters with the paparazzi in Britain hounding her relentlessly, so much so that Henry David (also known as Prince Harry) has compared her experience with the press to the experience of his late mother, Princess Diana. She, as we all know, was killed in Paris in 1997 following a high-speed pursuit by paparazzi. The fact that it has gotten this bad is rather concerning for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that Markle is a new mom and, quite understandably, wants a bit of privacy.
The two are hoping to find a more peaceful existence in BC—perhaps in Victoria—which will likely be made possible by stricter libel and slander laws as well as the Canadian press being a bit better with not intruding on people’s privacy unless it is in the public interest (celebrity gossip doesn’t count). The two are not guaranteed a life outside of the spotlight by moving to Canada, especially from foreign media outlets, but they have a better shot at diverting that spotlight elsewhere, at least for a little while, when they move.
The fact that Canadian reporters have an obligation to respect people’s privacy speaks volumes about the political culture of this country.
This is not to say that intrusion on people’s privacy doesn’t happen when it should, like with the Trudeau blackface scandal, but it happens for no reason way less often here than it does in other countries.
By taking a step back from being senior members of the royal family, the couple are also taking a step back from official royal duties and will no longer be receiving money from the taxpayer-funded sovereign grant, which currently makes up about five percent of their income. This, however, does not mean that Canadian taxpayers will have to pick up the tab for this, or for any of their security detail either. Nothing has been solidified as of yet, but the duke and duchess have said that they want to become financially independent.
Only time will tell if the royal couple will get the peace and financial independence they are looking for.