Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s double date with a VERY famous Canadian couple – as Duchess shares her pregnancy craving
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex enjoyed a double date with a VIP couple in Vancouver yesterday evening.
After a day packed with Invictus Games events, Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40, enjoyed some downtime at an Indian restaurant, Vij’s, owned by chef Vikram Vij.
The pair dined on modern Indian cuisine with none other than Canadian singer Michael Buble, 49, and his model and actress wife, Luisana Lopilato, 37.
The dinner appears to have become somewhat of a tradition, with the group also dining at Vij’s together during the Invictus Games last year.
Vikram, the owner and head chef at the restaurant, told Hello! that Meghan ‘ate a lot’ and that the couple are ‘amazing, extremely beautiful, and very friendly’.
He added: ‘Meghan is awesome and loved all the food. She remembered the chilis from last time, and I was totally impressed because she knew bhindi is the Hindi word for okra.’
The chef also learned of Meghan’s biggest craving during her pregnancies with both Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – Indian food.
‘Meghan said that during her pregnancy, she had eaten only Indian food, and I told her it was the best thing for her,’ the chef added in conversation with Hello.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dined at Indian restaurant, Vij’s, owned by chef Vikram Vij (pictured centre), with Michael Buble this weekend (pictured)
The last time Meghan visited Vikram’s restaurant, she made headlines for revealing her love of spice after telling the chef to ‘turn up the heat’.
At the time, Vikram Vij told CTV News that the couple appeared to have very different tolerances to spice, with Meghan ordering the ‘spiciest dish on the menu’.
The duchess also asked for additional chillies and spicy pickles to add to her meal, Mr Vij said, adding: ‘She loved it.’
Meanwhile, the restauranteur said Harry found the food a little ‘spicier’.
He added: ‘He actually himself said, “Do you know I’m a ginger? Which means when I eat spicy food, I get red?”‘
The chef also cooked for the Prince and Princess of Wales during their 2016 trip to Canada, where they ate his coconut vegetable curry, a dish William dubbed ‘amazing’, adding, ‘it’s the right level of spice for me’.
The chef hailed Meghan and Harry (seen during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games) as ‘amazing, extremely beautiful, and very friendly’
The Prince and Princess of Wales previously sampled Indian food cooked by Vikram Vij during a visit to Mission Hill Winery in September, 2016 (pictured)
Meghan revealed that her biggest craving during her pregnancies with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet was Indian food (seen at International Women’s Day in March, 2019)
Dining at Vij’s during the Invictus Games appears to be a tradition for Meghan, Harry, Michael and Luisana (Michael, Vikram, and Luisana are seen at the restaurant last year)
When Kate was asked if she liked cooking, the mother-of-three replied, ‘Yes, especially curries.’
The chef took to Instagram yesterday evening after having his restaurant filled with VIPs, writing: ‘Another incredible night at Vij’s
‘When food brings people together, magic happens! We were honoured to once again welcome Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Michael Bublé, and Luisana Lopilato for another unforgettable evening at Vij’s.
‘Sharing great conversation, incredible flavours, and the joy of coming together – this is what dining is all about!
‘A special night made even more meaningful as we celebrate the opening of the 2025 Invictus Games—a powerful tribute to resilience, courage, and the human spirit.’
It comes after Meghan Markle offered the perfect riposte to Donald Trump’s recent remarks about her relationship with Prince Harry, offering a ‘breathless’ display that shows she’s adoring – and, crucially, adored – at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games.
Body language expert Judi James, who analysed the couple’s interactions at the fanfare ceremony in Vancouver, said it was clear that the Duchess of Sussex was determined to put on a loved-up display.
This week, the US president suggested he wouldn’t challenge Prince Harry about his immigration status, saying the royal had ‘enough problems with his wife’, wasping: ‘She’s terrible’.
The Duchess of Sussex seemed keen to prove that she was an adoring – and adored wife – with their appearance packed with PDAs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle entered the ceremony to an outburst of cheers from the crowd
James told MailOnline the message to Mr Trump on Saturday night was clear, saying: ‘When he made his derogatory comments about Harry and Meghan, Meghan’s body language response seemed to be ‘Hold my coat’ as she put on one of the most emphatic sets of bonding and adoration rituals ever.’
With all the gusto of a First Lady in the White House, the Duchess seemed to be very keen to show just how close the pair are, added the expert.
James explained: ‘During her intro speech welcoming her husband on stage, Meghan delivered in a similarly breathless, excitable, ‘spontaneous’ style as she did in her recent Insta post about the Billie Eilish merchandise.’
‘Her ‘Oh gosh’ delivery included traits like eye-rolling to suggest surprise, sighing breathlessly, tossing her hair and pushing it back from her face and even the same squealing and whispering to suggest barely-contained emotions.’
And despite the couple being wed for nearly seven years, there was more than a whiff of ‘just married’ about the pair’s appearance.
James said: ‘Her introduction of Harry involved the kind of coyness signals you’d normally see from a newlywed, implying deliberately to the audience that she was still embarrassed by her depth of feeling for him.
‘Her “I want to introduce a man who means a lot to me” came with more knowing ‘aside’ eye-rolls to the audience, a peacocking hair preen and a coy smile.’
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, packed on the PDA as she announced her husband and also while the pair watched the opening ceremony from the stands.
Meghan Markle appeared to use the Invictus Opening Ceremony as the perfect opportunity to pour scorn on Donald Trump’s comments about her relationship
While onstage, Prince Harry said those who had gathered in Vancouver were there in a ‘spirit of unity’ while in parts of the world there was division and difficulty.
Said James: ‘Meghan squealed and giggled and stepped back to hold her arms out to greet him with a kiss on the cheek before extending one arm to direct him towards the mic.
‘Sitting in the stands watching the ceremony, Meghan displayed herself in several poses of pride and love. She clung to Harry’s arm, leaning in towards him like a fan and clutching his hand in an ownership gesture that seemed to (unnecessarily) let everyone, including Trump, know “He’s all mine”.’
The affectionate display came shortly after Trump announced he had no plans to deport Harry from the US amid a legal battle over his immigration status because of his ‘problems with his wife’.
‘I don’t want to do that,’ Trump said on Friday. ‘I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible,’ he told the New York Post.
It seems the couple were both ready to show the world President Trump’s comments were wrong – whether it be on a golf buggy transporting them to their seats, or on stage.
James added: ‘Meghan’s beaming smile involved heavy lip compressions and crinkling to emphasis pride in her man and she used face-touching rituals to register ownership, like stroking his cheek and neck with one hand and, in probably the biggest, most ‘triumphant’ public signal.
‘Standing to clasp his face in both her hands before kissing him on the lips as though sending her own personal hero off to make his appearance on stage.’
The Duchess, who wrapped up in a long cream wool trench coat from one of her favourite brands Sentaler, as she battled against Canada’s frosty temperatures, put on quite the display of affection throughout the opening ceremony.
Meghan leaned against her husband, planting a big kiss and grabbing the attention of onlookers before enthusiastically shook her pom-poms and placing a possessive hand on Harry.
‘Meghan used non-verbal signals to make herself seen as Harry’s own private cheerleader, literally lifting to large blue pom-poms at one point.
‘Her body language looked somewhere between a teenager on a date night and a proud mom at a school open night.
‘It was an emphatic display of bonding, with even references to packing lunch boxes for the school run and her “My husband, the father of my very sweet and exciting children” seeming to cement the fact that they are a very strong, ‘perfect’ and besotted family unit.’
