--- title: Meghan Markle Visits Vancouver Women's Center description: Meghan Markle visited the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in Vancouver on Tuesday, amid her and Prince Harry's rumored move to Canada canonical: https://time.com/5765329/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-vancouver-visit/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-01-15T14:20:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:01:12.917Z og:title: Meghan Markle Makes First Public Appearance Since Decision to Step Back From Royal Family og:description: A women's center shared a photo of Markle's visit on Facebook, writing 'look who we had tea with today!' og:url: https://time.com/5765329/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-vancouver-visit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a79c34bc4b79c2c/698a08de4ee262c418316ee4/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-visit.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Meghan Markle Makes First Public Appearance Since Decision to Step Back From Royal Family twitter:description: A women's center shared a photo of Markle's visit on Facebook, writing 'look who we had tea with today!' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a79c34bc4b79c2c/698a08de4ee262c418316ee4/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-visit.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Meghan Markle Makes First Public Appearance Since Announcing Decision to Step Back From Royal Family ## Video: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will No Longer Use Their HRH titles and Will Stop Receiving Public Funds for Royal Duties [Watch (HLS stream): Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will No Longer Use Their HRH titles and Will Stop Receiving Public Funds for Royal Duties](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tZKEjC0T.m3u8) (1:55)  _Published 2020-01-08. The new “model” will take effect this spring, though the palace did not announce an official date. As part of the new agreement, Harry and Meghan will step back from all royal duties, including official military appointments._ by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jan 15, 2020 2:20 PM UTC  Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrives with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex to Canada House in thanks for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada, on Jan. 7, 2020 in London, England. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrives with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex to Canada House in thanks for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada, on Jan. 7, 2020 in London, England.Daniel Leal-Olivas—WPA Pool/Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jan 15, 2020 2:20 PM UTC Meghan Markle visited a women’s center in Vancouver on Tuesday, marking her first public appearance since she and Prince Harry announced they are [stepping away](https://time.com/5761547/prince-harry-meghan-markle-step-back-senior-royals/) from their roles as “senior members” of the royal family. The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre posted a photo to Facebook showing the Duchess of Sussex standing with the center’s staff. “Look who we had tea with today!” the caption read. “The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle visited us today to discuss issues affecting women in the community.” The center provides access to basic needs — such as meals, laundry and showers — for vulnerable and marginalized women, children and seniors, and connects people to other support services in the city, according to the [organization’s website](http://dewc.ca/dewcabout). Earlier in the day, Markle had been [spotted](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7887419/Meghan-Markle-breaks-cover-time-leaving-UK.html?ico=pushly-notifcation-small) by paparazzi boarding a seaplane to Vancouver. Markle visited the center as all eyes remain on the British royals following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to transition away from their roles as full-time working members of the royal family. In a statement released on their [Instagram page](https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EaGS%5FJpb9/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed) last week, the couple said they planned to step back as “senior” members of the family and work to eventually become financially independent. Markle then returned to Canada from the U.K. to be with her son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor (who had reportedly stayed in the country with a friend of Markle’s after her and Prince Harry’s winter break) following the announcement. Queen Elizabeth II said she [supported their choice](https://time.com/5763086/queen-statement-prince-harry-meghan-markle/) in a statement on Monday, after meeting with Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry to negotiate the terms of their departure from the royal family. As of Wednesday morning, these negotiations remain ongoing. Markle wasn’t the only one to make a public appearance amidst the consternation. Prince William and Kate Middleton were seen Wednesday in their [first official outing](https://people.com/royals/kate-middleton-and-prince-william-show-no-sign-of-stress-on-first-post-royal-family-crisis-outing/) since Markle and Prince Harry dropped their news. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the city of Bradford to tour organizations working with young people. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5765329/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-vancouver-visit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5765329/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-vancouver-visit/"},"headline":"Meghan Markle Makes First Public Appearance Since Announcing Decision to Step Back From Royal Family","datePublished":"2020-01-15T14:20:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:01:12.917Z","description":"The center shared a photo of Markle's visit on Facebook, writing 'look who we had tea with today!'","url":"https://time.com/5765329/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-vancouver-visit/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Canada","British Royals","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a79c34bc4b79c2c/698a08de4ee262c418316ee4/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-visit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a79c34bc4b79c2c/698a08de4ee262c418316ee4/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-visit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House","caption":"The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House","creditText":"Daniel Leal-Olivas—WPA Pool/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5765329/meghan-markle-womens-shelter-vancouver-visit/","name":"Meghan Markle Makes First Public Appearance Since Announcing Decision to Step Back From Royal Family"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will No Longer Use Their HRH titles and Will Stop Receiving Public Funds for Royal Duties","description":"The new “model” will take effect this spring, though the palace did not announce an official date. 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