Meghan Markle broke cover from the ongoing royal crisis surrounding her future to pick up her pilates instructor friend ahead of a girly weekend in Canada.
The Duchess of Sussex was seen driving herself to Victoria International Airport in a Land Rover Discovery yesterday afternoon to meet Heather Dorak.
A smiling Meghan greeted her friend with a hug as she sat in the front seat of the car next to a male companion, thought to be a protection officer.
It is thought Meghan then drove on to the £10.7million mansion on Vancouver Island where she has largely been holed up since Thanksgiving with Archie and his nanny.
Ms Dorak, who hails from San Antonio, Texas, became Meghan’s pilates guru and attended the royal wedding in May 2018 with her husband Matt Cohen.
The unidentified friend emerged from the terminal pushing a black roller bag with a black tote slung over her shoulder
Meghan’s pal excitedly greeted the Duchess as she climbed into the backseat of the crossover
Meghan reached over her seat to embrace her pal before departing from the airport
It’s unclear where the trio were headed off to when they left the airport – but Meghan’s broad grin indicated she was excited about the destination
The pair mingled with guests such as George and Amal Clooney at the St George’s Chapel ceremony, which was followed by a lavish after-party at Frogmore House.
Heather is a member of the close-knit girl squad understood to have masterminded Meghan’s secret hen do ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry.
Meghan frequently shared snaps of herself and Heather on her now defunct Instagram account before it was closed ahead of the royal wedding.
She runs the Pilates Platinum brand, which the Duchess started attending in Los Angeles when she starred in Suits.
The Pilates Platinum classes are billed as an ‘inventive and aggressive’ approach to full-body fat burning and conditioning.
In interviews published before her relationship with Prince Harry became public, Meghan gushed about her ‘amazing’ and ‘inspiring’ friend Heather.
The Duchess of Sussex is seen enjoying a playful beach workout with her friend, pilates instructor Heather Dorak, in a social media snap shared before Meghan began dating Harry
Meghan, seen with Heather in another social media snap from her actress days, has previously described her friend’s workouts as ‘hands down the best thing you can do for your body’
Pilates instructor Heather, who was a guest at Prince Harry and Meghan’s Windsor Castle in May along with her husband Matt Cohen, is already mother to a little boy, Noah, aged one
Heather (seen far right) and her husband Matt (second from left), posed with fellow glamorous guests including James Corden (far left) and Priyanka Chopra (fifth from left) following the ceremony at St George’s Chapel on May 19th
Meghan once told Women’s Health Magazine: ‘There are so many workouts that you try out once and never go back to; Heather’s studio is the complete opposite.
‘You keep coming back for several reasons: first off, your body changes immediately… give it two classes and you will see a difference; second, Heather is amazing – as an instructor, as a friend, she is inspiring in every way.
‘Lastly, the people in class are cool, unpretentious, and motivating… and that is a testament to Heather’s energy.’
The friends were also both pregnant at the same time in late 2018, but their children were not with them at arrivals yesterday afternoon.
Meghan maintained a low profile for the rendezvous by donning a black beanie, over-sized sunglasses and fur-lined black parka.
She removed the sunglasses for a brief moment before putting them back on to block out the harsh late-day sun.
A smile spread across her face when she spotted her friend approaching the car with a suitcase and tote bag in tow.
The friend slipped into the backseat of the crossover before reaching over to hug Meghan in the driver’s seat.
The close friends are seen together in a snap posted on Meghan’s now defunct Instagram account, which she regularly updated before her relationship with now husband Prince Harry became serious
The ultra-flexible pilates instructor clearly has no intention of letting a blossoming bump get in the way of her workouts. The now Duchess of Sussex previously called Heather’s pilates classes ‘hands down the best thing you can do for your body’
The pilates instructor, who attended Harry and Meghan’s Windsor Castle in May, told her followers she was ‘lunging my way into the weekend’ in a post last month, as she reached the 17 week mark in her pregnancy – indicating her intention to continue with her fitness routine
The Duchess’ friend Heather Dorak, the founder of the Pilates Platinum studio Meghan attended in LA, is also expecting a baby – and documenting her adapted exercise routine on her Instagram account
Harry is expected to join Meghan in Canada soon, after spending time in Britain to work out the terms of Megxit.
He made his first public appearance since the Megxit bombshell at the draw for the Rugby League World Cup at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
Harry raced through the launch of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup – dodging any questions about his future at a highly-orchestrated Buckingham Palace event.
The Rugby League World Cup appearance could potentially be Harry’s last job as a senior royal before he moves to Canada.
The Queen, Harry’s 93-year-old grandmother, was said to be particularly hurt by Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down as senior royals.
After the Sandringham summit, the Queen issued a rare personal statement that made clear her regret that the Sussexes had decided to step down.
But she said she respected their wish to live a ‘more independent’ life and had given her permission for them to spend time in Canada, as well as the UK, while these ‘complex’ matters were being resolved.
The biggest sticking points are understood to be the couple’s desire to earn their own living and how far they should be allowed to ‘commercialise’ their roles, as well as what royal duties they will still be expected to carry out.
The British and Canadian governments are also involved in talks about residency and security issues.