Meghan Markle Steps Out For The First Time Since Stepping Back as a Senior Royal

Martin Gould In North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada, For Dailymail.com wrote:Meghan Markle broke cover for the first time on Tuesday, leaving the palatial $14 million Canadian home where she has been staying since last week to visit a women's shelter.

The Duchess of Sussex left the Vancouver Island ocean-side mansion shortly before 10 a.m. local time and arrived at Victoria Harbour Airport around 20 minutes later, where she appeared happy and relaxed as she laughed with her security team before boarding a seaplane for the mainland.

She then made a surprise visit to the Downtown Eastside Women's Center in Vancouver to 'offer support' and to 'boost the staff's spirits'.

The shelter posted a photograph on its Facebook page of Meghan at the center of a group of eight women, with the caption 'Look who we had tea with today! The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, visited us today to discuss issues affecting women in the community.'

A staff member said they only became aware of the visit when Meghan arrived and that she spent time meeting with managers. The shelter provides counseling, hot meals, and basic needs for women and children in need.

'She asked what the women would need in terms of support. It was a nice meeting,' the staff member said.

The women's shelter she visited yesterday is situated in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Canada on Vancouver's Eastside. It is the epicenter of the country's drug overdose crisis that has claimed more that 13,000 lives since January 2016.

It's not clear whether the Duchess is planning a long-running association with the center.

Eight-month-old son Archie was nowhere to be seen and Meghan, accompanied by members of her security detail, did not appear to take luggage with her as she flew to Vancouver.

Meghan pulled a fur-lined hood over her head and wore knee-high brown boots to protect herself from snow flurries as she boarded the plane.

It is the first time she has been positively spotted since she flew back to British Columbia last week, although there have been unconfirmed reports of her driving into the nearby town of Sidney by the Sea and going to Victoria International Airport.

She made her move as the Canadian Navy moored a vessel just a quarter mile out to sea off Mille Fleurs, the home where her family spent the holidays and where she has been staying in since she hurriedly left London.

The coastal defense vessel Brandon moved into place in Patricia Bay on Monday.

But Canadian Navy spokeswoman Lt. Chelsea Dubeau said the mooring so close to Meghan's temporary home was 'coincidence,' and the Brandon, she said, was in the middle of sea trials.

'Sometimes during sea trials they moor to conduct exercises on board, either on or around the ship,' Dubeau told DailyMail.com.

The Duchess opted to recycle her wardrobe, wearing a $399 Barbour coat, first worn by her in March 2017 and paired it with a $195 Cuyana bag she wore to Wimbledon in June 2019. She wore Le Chameau boots retailing for $493.36.

Meghan has been holed up in Mille Fleurs since Friday after leaving husband Prince Harry in Britain to work out the terms for the couple quitting as senior members of the Royal Family.

She was expected to phone into discussions between Harry, the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William on Monday but in the end left it all to her husband to finalize the details.

Harry is due to fly back to Canada — where the couple stayed for six weeks in December and the New Year — later this week, when the couple will start out on their new life. His last royal duty will be to appear at the draw for the Rugby League World Cup at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

The Duchess of Sussex today denied she was barred from 'dialing in' to the landmark Sandringham summit from Canada as senior royals discussed her stepping down from the Royal Family with Prince Harry.

The couple's Kensington Palace spokesman insisted Meghan was not shut out of the discussion and just left it to her husband, saying: 'In the end, the Sussexes decided that it wasn't necessary for the Duchess to join'.

It comes as the Sussex team continues to negotiate an abdication deal on money, titles and establishing their international commercial presence.

Meanwhile it was also revealed that the Queen allowed Harry and Meghan to quit as senior royals following a private heart-to-heart with her grandson at Monday's crisis summit.

After a family meeting at Sandringham, Her Majesty released a historic and emotionally-charged statement regretting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to split their time between Canada and the UK as they wind down their senior-royal duties.