Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. (Photo Credit: Hello Magazine)

By David Opinko

Royal Couple to Okotoks?

Invitation sent to Royal Couple Harry & Meghan to move to Okotoks

Feb 14, 2020 | 4:42 PM

OKOTOKS, AB – The Mayor of Okotoks admits that it’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try.

Bill Robertson introduced a motion to town council this week to formally invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to permanently relocate to the community. It passed unanimously.

The town’s official slogan since 2015 has been that “there are a number of things to do in Okotoks,” so he feels like it could be a good fit for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The Sussex Royals announced on January 8, 2020, that they were looking to take a step back from their duties in the Royal Family and would be balancing their time between the United Kingdom and North America.

The couple later said that they would prefer to live in a Commonwealth country, namely Canada.

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“A letter is being sent [Friday] afternoon to Buckingham Palace, that’s the only address we have for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so a letter will be sent to Buckingham Palace and I expect it to be forwarded on to the Royals,” says Robertson.

In his entire conversation with LNN, Robertson remained highly optimistic about Okotoks and his beliefs about why the Royals might want to settle there.

As part of his motion to council, he said it is a welcoming community “with the vista of the Rocky Mountains to the west and the picturesque Sheep River winding through its heart, highlighting the setting’s natural beauty and offering an exceptional quality of life,” and that it “Has one of the largest populations of British expats in Canada and a variety of delicacies to appease the British palate.”

Most importantly, however, the mayor believes Okotoks would be a great place for nine-month-old Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

“We could get him into minor soccer, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, beaver scouts, cub scouts. Those types of activities are abundant here.”

“It is certainly a youth-oriented town here in Okotoks and we just think Meghan and Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, would have a great life should they choose to reside in Okotoks.”

Given that Markle is a seasoned actor who has appeared on shows such as Suits, “the Okotoks Dewdney Players would welcome an experienced thespian to join their group.”

It is not clear when the Royal Couple would decide on where they might relocate.

The town has applied to host the 2022 Summer Games and Robertson says that would be a good introduction to the community for them.

“Should we be lucky enough to be awarded that by the provincial government, we could certainly ask Meghan and Harry to visit Okotoks and perhaps help us open for the opening ceremony for those games.”

The municipality would help the couple to look for a place to live in the community, but since they would be private citizens, they would have to take care of the cost for security.