Prince Harry ‘used a fake Canadian accent and covered his face’ in hardware store near luxury Vancouver hideaway before shopkeeper mistook him for Prince ANDREW (but she did give him a hug)
- Shopkeeper mistook Duke of Sussex for Prince Andrew during Christmas break
- She proceeded to greet Prince with a hug and invite him for Christmas dinner
- She later praised his manners, saying his mother ‘would be proud of him’
A Canadian shopkeeper mistook the Duke of Sussex for Prince Andrew when he visited her homeware store and reportedly attempted a Canadian accent during the Royal couple’s Christmas break.
Prince Harry was browsing the store Lilaberry in Sidney, British Columbia last month for Christmas decorations.
He was quickly identified as a member of the Royal Family by shopkeeper Chris Stephen, 60 – just not the right one.
Canadian shopkeeper Chris Stephen (pictured) mistook the Duke of Sussex for Prince Andrew when he visited her homeware store and reportedly attempted a Canadian accent
Prince Harry was browsing the store Lilaberry in Sidney, British Columbia for Christmas decorations
Ms Stephen momentarily mistook Prince Harry for Prince Andrew (pictured last month)
Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle earlier this week announced they would be stepping down as ‘senior members’ of the Royal family, in a bombshell revelation.
The Mail revealed Meghan has already flown back to Canada where she was reunited with her son Archie. It is thought Harry will rejoin them soon from London.
The shopkeeper explained how she spotted two men Christmas shopping in her store when she gave them a ‘demo’ of the scarf she was holding.
‘I gave them a demo of this scarf and as I took it off he said, ‘is that real fur?’ And I said, ‘no, it’s not real, I wouldn’t be carrying real fur,” she said.
Ms Stephens’ Sidney store Lilaberry, where Prince Harry was shopping for Christmas decorations
Shopkeeper Chris Stephen. Ms Stephen explained how she spotted two men Christmas shopping in her store when she gave them a ‘demo’ of the scarf she was holding, before she realised she was addressing the Prince
Chris Stephen pictured in her Sidney store. ‘I’m looking in these lovely blue eyes with the ginger eyebrows. That’s when I said ‘has anyone ever told you you look like’ – and I was thinking of him, but it came out as Prince Andrew,’ she explained
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose Vancouver as their getaway destination between Thanksgiving and the new year
She quickly realised she may have been speaking to someone from the Royal family.
‘I’m looking in these lovely blue eyes with the ginger eyebrows. That’s when I said ‘has anyone ever told you you look like’ – and I was thinking of him, but it came out as Prince Andrew.’
They moved into a back room after the Prince’s security asked for discretion, where Ms Stephen proceeded to give him a hug and invite him for Christmas dinner.
Prince Harry responded by teasing Ms Stephen, telling her: ‘I can’t believe you said I look like Prince Andrew.’
‘I said to him, ”I’m so sorry, I just had a moment.” And then he said to me, ‘I was trying to disguise my accent and sound Canadian.’ And said, yeah, you didn’t do a very good job.’
She later praised Prince Harry’s demeanor, saying: ‘His mom would be so proud of him. Because he wasn’t pretentious. He wasn’t pushy. He wasn’t offended. He was cheerfully allowing me to do the mom thing.’
The £10million waterfront property where Price Harry and Megan Msrkle were believed to have been staying on Vancouver island
Speculation has been mounting over where the Duke and Duchess will choose to settle after announcing they would split their time between the UK and North America.
The couple occupied a £10million waterfront mansion in Vancouver between Thanksgiving and the new year, where Meghan has since returned to.
Harry has had to postpone plans to join her because of a commitment to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup draw next Thursday at Buckingham Palace.
However it is not thought the family will make the Vancouver Island dwelling their home, with rumours swirling that the couple could move to Los Angeles or Toronto.
Prince Andrew has become embroiled in a scandal due to his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
He was forced to step back from public life following November’s ‘car crash’ BBC Newsnight interview in which he was quizzed over his connection to Epstein and claims he had sex with one of the disgraced financier’s victims, Virginia Roberts, when she was just 17, which he has denied.