Prince Harry Reportedly Broke a Major Royal Travel Rule for Meghan Markle
Prince Harry has long been head over heels for his now wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. Of course, you likely knew this because they are married, but long before they walked down the aisle Harry was reportedly willing to do just about anything to make his love happy. That includes breaking a few royal rules.
In 2016, while the two were just beginning their courtship, Prince Harry went on an official two-week Caribbean tour as part of his royal duties. He was reportedly booked to fly back on a British Airways flight to resume his duties as a prince and was scheduled to make several appearances back home. But, rather than flying to England, the love-struck prince canceled the flight and instead went off to Toronto to see his new girlfriend.
Related: How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Sneak Out of Heathrow Airport
Seems innocuous enough, right? Maybe not, as according to The Telegraph, palace policy says “working visits should not be combined with personal travel.”
While it may not seem like a huge deal, the change in plans can easily be misconstrued as misuse of public dollars. And that’s exactly how Prince Andrew got in trouble in 2004 after he combined personal trips with business trips that were paid for with taxpayer money.
According to The Telegraph, in 2004, the Royal Household said: “In order to avoid confusion, combining private and public engagements in the same trip is actively discouraged.”
But, Elle reported, Prince Harry likely at least paid for his flight to and from Canada on his own.
And that, of course, wasn’t Harry’s only visit to Canada over their courtship. According to Hello, Harry flew to Canada two months prior to the couple’s engagement to see Meghan and meet the entire cast and crew of Suits.
"He was super low key, met some crew, and was so happy to watch his lady," a source told Hello at the time. "He's incredibly supportive of her work."
Clearly, it was true love even then, especially if Harry was willing to skirt the royal rules and risk getting in trouble with the Queen.