Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received the cutest baby gifts
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex honored Canada on March 11th for Commonwealth Day. According to Kensington Palace, they met with Canadians working in fashion, arts, business and academics and even made some maple-flavored taffy at the Canada House in London. They also met with Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Janice Charette who surprised them with the cutest baby gifts!
According to royal correspondent Rebecca English of Daily Mail, the present included clothing and accessories by Canadian brands: hat and mittens by Hudson's Bay, a white onesie decorated with a red Maple Leaf by Hop and Moo and moccasins by Manitobah Mukluks.
Prince Harry reportedly smelled the shoes and according to People joked, “I’m sniffing the insides to check if they are leather or not, not because they are smelly.”
The shoes were indeed real leather. The brand, Manitobah Mukluks, is indigenous-owned and strives to celebrate Indigenous values and history, as well as support the local communities. According to its website, each product is made by talented artisans using high-quality materials and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Meghan Markle, who is due to give birth sometime in April, wore a green embellished coat by Canadian designer Erdem Moralioglu for the occasion. The coat was a thoughtful choice as it came from Erdem's Spring 2018 collection which was famously dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The queen is the patron of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust and while Prince Harry is the president of the organization, Duchess Meghan was most recently named vice president.
Commonwealth Day celebrates the Commonwealth of Nations, a political association of 53 countries (almost all of them former British territories) like Britain, Canada, Australia, Botswana, Kenya, Jamaica, India and more. This year's celebration was especially significant as it marked the 70th anniversary of the London Declaration, when nations of the Commonwealth officially came together to move forward as free and equal members.
