Did Meghan Markle take a secret trip to her adopted hometown? A Toronto Life investigation

Did Meghan Markle take a secret trip to her adopted hometown? A Toronto Life investigation

Photograph from Instagram

The Internet is buzzing with conspiracy theories about the Duchess of Sussex jetting off on a secret trip to her adopted hometown of Toronto. But the detour seems a little suspicious: did she really take an Air Canada flight? Did she really leave Prince Harry all alone in England? Is the story really true, or is it just another load of bollocks, courtesy of the royal rumour mill? We investigate…

Exhibit A

The source
Media may have been splashing “Meghan Markle is in Canada!!!” headlines across their home pages all day, but the original story surfaced a few days ago (on August 18) on an independent news website called Royal Central. The “exclusive” report comes courtesy of “a source” (not even an “inside” one), who claims that the Duchess has made her first solo trip to Toronto where she, “still has close friends who live in the city, including the Mulroneys.”

Exhibit B

The Instagram BFF
Speaking of the Mulroneys, known royal bestie Jessica Mulroney tends to keep things candid on social media, and her Instagram feed is a good source for clues. Yesterday evening, the celebrity stylist posted this family photo:

Another day, another jumpsuit. That Brian face though

A post shared by Jess Mulroney (@jessicamulroney) on


Here, it’s important to note the wedding white and the caption. Brian (for the uninitiated) is Jessica’s son. Perhaps more importantly, he’s the royal wedding attendee whose gap-toothed grin provided one of the most viral moments from Meghan and Harry’s big day. If you’re a crazy royal conspiracy theorist who likes to make tenuous connections between social media posts and unsubstantiated rumours, the photo could be a hint. It’s safe to assume Jess isn’t going to come out and say, “Hwy, world, MM is here!” And really, is there anything more suggesting of subterfuge than an ellipsis?

Exhibit C

The flight
The most suspicious part of the already suspicious Royal Central story is the part that claims the most famous woman in the world (sorry, Beyoncé) took an Air Canada flight to Toronto. It goes on to say that officials at Kensington Palace “sent a letter to Air Canada staff beforehand asking that no one take Meghan’s picture or approach her on the flight” (because everyone knows international air laws are governed by the British monarchy…). It is possible MM would opt to fly commercial for PR reasons. Remember when half the commonwealth lost their biscuits after Harry included a trip to visit his then Toronto-based girlfriend as part of his official royal itinerary? Still, Air Canada? Really?

Exhibit D

The reliable source
Just a few hours ago, a reporter from the Daily Mail Tweeted that, despite all the drama, Markle is not actually visiting her former home city. (She will, however, be attending a performance of Hamilton in London next week). One the one hand, the DM has certainly published some questionable stories; on the other, the fact that an actual journalist is attaching her name to the info in question seems pretty credible. An ABC news producer has also publicly stated that it’s all a big fat lie.

The verdict

Cancel your airport stake-out plans and put away your hot Terroni chilies. After reviewing the evidence. we are (regretfully) ruling that the Duchess is not in Toronto. Please resume your life and re-watch your favourite episode of Suits.