Meghan tells friends Harry feels ‘helpless self-isolating in Canada

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are self-isolating in Canada, as Meghan confides in friends that Harry feels ‘helpless’ and is ‘concerned’ about the Queen and his father Prince Charles catching coronavirus, a close friend exclusively told DailyMail.com. 

‘Meghan said they are grateful, especially Harry, that they could spend time with his family before all this insanity began,’ the insider explained.  

‘Meghan said [Harry] has been in contact with the both his father and grandmother. He urged them to stay safe and to take extra precautions.’ 

The Duchess of Sussex is also taking steps to protect her family, requiring ‘everyone on their team, the people who buy groceries and run errands, to wear latex gloves at all times and are to follow a strict hygiene protocol’, the source said. 

‘Only a select few will be able to interact with her, Harry and Archie. She said she’s keeping it to a bare minimum,’ the friend added. 

But while holed up at their Vancouver Island waterfront mansion, Meghan and Harry are working with experts on how to best serve the public during this time, believing the pandemic is also a mental health crisis and feel ‘compelled to help’.    

‘Meghan said they are grateful, especially Harry, that they could spend time with his family before all this insanity began,’ the insider explained. ‘Meghan said [Harry] has been in contact with the both of them. He urged them to stay safe and to take extra precautions’

The friend added: ‘Meghan said just because they are isolating themselves, it doesn’t mean they can’t help. They aren’t just sitting around at home doing nothing.’

They continued: ‘Meghan told her inner circle that what’s happening in the world right now is a mental health crisis.

‘She said they are working with a mental health non-profit to create some sort of online support system for those most vulnerable, like new mothers suffering from postpartum depression. 

‘People who lack support systems need reassurance that they are not alone.’

Meghan and Harry have just returned to Canada following their last official engagements as working members of the royal family. 

They attended the Mountbatten Festival of Music and reunited with Prince William and Kate Middleton during the Commonwealth Day celebrations. 

Upon being back in Canada, the close friend said Meghan admitted that Harry ‘feels a bit helpless and isolated out in the middle of nowhere, but is grateful that they are all together as a family.’ 

While holed up at their Vancouver Island waterfront mansion (pictured), Meghan and Harry are working with experts on how to best serve the public during this time, believing the pandemic is also a mental health crisis and feel ‘compelled to help’

The Duchess of Sussex is also taking steps to protect herself, Harry and Archie, requiring ‘everyone on their team, the people who buy groceries and run errands, to wear latex gloves at all times and are to follow a strict hygiene protocol’, the source said

The friend also revealed Meghan has concerns about coronavirus but ‘she’s been diligent about not touching her face and washing her hands.’

They explained: ‘She said panicking won’t do any good. It’s just not an option in her household. She doesn’t want Archie picking up on any unnecessary stress and tension. Her home is her sanctuary and it’s a place of peace and calm.’

DailyMail.com previously revealed her and Harry’s farewell tour in the UK was ‘confirmation’ that she and Prince Harry ‘made the right choice in parting ways’ with the royal family.   

Meghan had told her inner circle of friends that her last trip as a senior royal was ‘bittersweet’ but she was ‘eager to get back home to Archie’. 

‘She said [the trip] has been a confirmation that they made the right choice in parting ways. There’s no warmth between the family members and she wants to raise Archie in a household that is filled with laughter and joy and lots of hugs,’ the close friend said. 

‘It’s still weird to her that no one hugs and that everyone is so uptight, especially Kate. She said it’s obvious that Kate and William do not approve of their choices and that you could cut the tension with a knife. Kate barely even looked at her and their interaction was kept to a bare minimum.’  

But over the weekend it was reported Meghan and Harry accepted an invitation from the Queen to join her at Balmoral this summer.

But over the weekend it was reported Meghan and Harry accepted an invitation from the Queen to join her at Balmoral this summer. It would mark the first time Archie, who turns one in May, made the trip to the Queen’s Scottish retreat after Harry and Meghan turned down the invitation last year. Pictured: Archie meeting the Queen on May 8, 2019

Last September the Queen was said to have been ‘disappointed’ when the Sussexes turned down her invitation to Balmoral (pictured)

It raised speculation the couple could bring Archie along with them to the UK for the first time since they departed for North America. 

It would mark the first time Archie, who turns one in May, made the trip to the Queen’s Scottish retreat after Harry and Meghan turned down the invitation last year. 

They are also expected to spend time with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at Birkhall, Charles’s retreat on the Balmoral estate, according to Roya Nikkhah writing in The Sunday Times.

However, Archie may accompany his parents to Britain in June when they attend trooping the color.  

His absence from his wider family is understood to have left the Queen feeling ‘very sad’.

Archie remained in Canada with the Sussexes’ nanny and Meghan’s friend Jessica Mulroney while Harry and Meghan completed their final official engagements in the UK.