New Life Begins - But The Knives Are Out Again

As Harry and Meghan begin their new life they’ve been accused of ‘freeloading’ and tacky behaviour

- Nici De Wet

At 4.45PM on Valentine’s Day a commercial flight from the USA touches down at Victoria Airport, Canada.

The doors swing open and after a while a woman, long dark hair a tad tousled from the trip, steps off, clutching a duffel bag and what looks like a laptop case under her arm.

Behind her a slim man in a baseball cap and jeans descends the short flight of stairs, suitcase in hand. It is, of course, Prince Harry (35) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (38) – and these are the first pictures of the couple together since they shocked the world by announcing they were walking away from their royal duties.

A commercial flight, carrying their own luggage – big thumbs-up there. All in keeping with their new ethos of living a more normal life. Yes, there’s a small contingent of security staff accompanying them but other than that they’re behaving like lesser mortals.

Meghan’s shoes and bag also tick the right boxes. They’re pricey but hyper environmentally aware: $125 (R1 875) pumps made by a US company that turns recycled water bottles into shoes; a $1 700 (R25 500) duffel bag from Prada’s Re-Nylon range, which uses recyclable material.

So far so good.

Yet as the Sussexes get stuck into their new life – one of financial independence where they carve out their own way – the controversy is ramping up again.

And it seems some people in America are also turning on the couple now.

FIRST, WHAT THEY’VE BEEN UP TO

Harry’s recent appearance as keynote speaker at the Alternative Investment Summit in Miami, organised by US banking giant JPMorgan Chase & Co, was his first major engagement since “Megxit”.

The conference is “all about building wealth for future generations and making the world better for [them] – a topic close to Harry’s heart,” one insider said.