Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are serenaded by crowd singing ‘God Save the King’ as they hit the slopes in Whistler and meet Invictus Games athletes

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were serenaded by a crowd singing ‘God Save The King’ as they put on a united front to hit the slopes in Whistler and meet Invictus Games athletes in their first public appearance since their royal rebrand.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in the stunning Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia for a two-day trip from California to promote next year’s Invictus Games, the first time it will involve winter sports. 

The couple, who arrived hand-in-hand yesterday, looked thrilled to be spending Valentine’s Day in Canada – the country where they fell in love – as they ventured out to the mountains followed by a film crew. 

As the couple joined an Invictus Games training session to mark a year until the global sporting event, Harry even tried his hand at sit-skiing and quipped before he set off: ‘Do I need to sign a waiver?’ 

Footage has now emerged of members of the crowd breaking out into a rendition of Britain’s national anthem as Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, prepared to leave Whistler yesterday afternoon.

As a group of men started bellowing out ‘Long live our noble King! God save the King!’, other members of the crowd could be heard chuckling.

The Sussexes smiled and waved before getting into a Jeep, while it appears Harry may have charmed some of the gathering crowds. One skier said: ‘He was very nice’.  The prince also poked his head out the window and gave the crowd a final wave which was met with cheers.

Harry and Meghan’s trip comes days after the couple faced a backlash over their new Sussex.com website, while it is also the couple’s first public appearance since the shock news that King Charles is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Just over a week ago, the duke travelled on a ten-hour flight from Los Angeles to London to spend just half an hour with his father in the wake of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis – but Meghan stayed at home with their children Archie and Lilibet.

Archie four, and Lilibet, two, also appear to have stayed at home in Montecito while the Sussexes are away in Whistler.

Harry could not resist trying some of the sports the disabled athletes – who have all served in the military – will be taking part in, with the father-of-two filmed as he had a go at sit-skiing.

Meghan could also not contain her laughter as she snapped a photo of Prince Harry trying the sport out.

In a candid moment, a giddy Meghan is seen borrowing a phone from a friend to film her husband’s attempts. Laughing, the former Suits star then turns to a friend and says ‘oh you have to show them’ as she hands the phone back. 

They did not appear affected by the row over their website row – and criticism over their use of the royal links despite their rift with the Windsors and an agreement with the Queen not to use their HRH titles for business purposes or trade off their royal connections. 

Yesterday, Meghan praised the ‘talented team’ behind her new Sussex.com website after it was claimed the couple did not consult palace officials in advance. 

The Duchess wrote: ‘There is a reason I have worked with Ryan and the talented team at Article for a decade: their attention to detail, their creativity and care, and the thoughtful approach to design as well as to the user experience.

‘They’re not just designers; they are collaborators who elevate your ideas into visual identities. They’re a very special company. Plus they’re Canadian, so I’m a fan.’

Meghan was all smiles and glamour in skinny white jeans and a sweater topped with a beige quilted coat. She was flashing her £140,000 engagement ring. The Duchess has not been seen publicly wearing the glittering band, comprising one huge Botswana diamond and two from Princess Diana ‘s collection, since May 2023.

Harry was dressed down in jeans and a black Eddie Bauer anorak as he arrived for a training session with athletes planning to take part in the 2025 Games.

The pair were spotted bending down to talk to athletes competing at the games, while Harry tried out one of the competitors’ sit-skis, all while being followed close behind by a camera crew. Meghan was seen smiling with officials as she used her mobile to gather content.

Harry and Meghan made their way out of the gondola on Whistler’s Blackcomb Mountain shortly after 2.30pm local time and were introduced to three groups of adaptive skiers: one Alpine sit-ski, one standing ski and one group of visually impaired athletes.

Alex Cairns, a sit-skier from Canada, was the first to meet the Sussexes and gave a demonstration of the sport – arriving at the base of the slope to cheers from Harry.

The Whistler games will be the first time that Invictus has featured winter sports.

The couple arrived in Canada on Tuesday and were pictured by DailyMail.com touching down in Vancouver just after noon Pacific time following a two-hour flight from Santa Barbara – the closest airport to their home in Montecito.

Their arrival came on the same day that Meghan announced she had signed a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media after she and Harry parted ways with Spotify.

A convoy of cars collected the famous duo and whisked them away to Whistler where they are due to be on Wednesday and Thursday before they return to Vancouver for an event in the City of Glass on Friday.

The pair are then expected to travel home to California on Friday afternoon to be reunited with their children.

The Duke and Dutchess are currently embroiled in an ongoing row over their rebranded ‘royal’ website Sussex.com – complete with Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit front-line royal duties.

Sources now saying the couple did not consult palace officials about using their Sussex titles.

A source close to the couple defended the use of their royal titles, saying: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.’

Yesterday, Meghan, 42, was forced to put out a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple’s new website . Harry has also faced criticism over the short amount of time he spent in the UK following his father’s cancer diagnosis.

Experts have said the great Sussex relaunch is underway after poor PR caused by Spare and their Netflix documentary.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘Lemonada isn’t a household name as Spotify, which terminated the Sussexes contract, undoubtedly is.

‘Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, labelled them ‘F*****g Grifters’ and that contract was worth $20million.

‘Lemonada received $8million in ‘Series A funding’ in 2022 and this contract with the Sussexes company Archewell is likely to be worth only a fraction of that with Spotify.

‘Meghan’s sole podcast for Spotify, the 12-episode Archetypes, which examines how women are held back, will be distributed and she will launch a new podcast, though it is unclear when or what she will earn or if Harry will have a role.

‘In 2021 Harry and Meghan made the Time 100 most influential people. It had been expected that their next move would be something spectacular.

‘Would Meghan sign with Dior? Would they have a major coup and join with a top brand? Would she go into politics?

‘Lemonada has been called ‘D-list’. It is small, having been founded in 2019 by two women during the pandemic. Both had lost brothers in tragic circumstances.

‘Meghan signed with the prestigious William Morris Agency in April of last year. Nearly a year later, they’ve produced little more than a lemon.

‘Is this the only result of yesterday’s rebrand when they launched a controversial website? With polls showing their popularity in the States low, Hollywood won’t hold its breath.’

PR expert Sean O’Meara, managing director of Manchester-based agency Essential Content, told MailOnline today: ‘Lemonada doesn’t have anything close to the brand recognition that Spotify has, and Archewell, the couple’s content production brand, had to put in a bit of work to help them move past the Spotify relationship.

‘I think it’s a good partnership for both parties nonetheless. Lemonada gets a high-profile partner, Meghan gets a new platform and a fresh start.

‘What Lemonada lacks in instant name recognition and category leadership, it makes up for in other ways.

‘It’s female-founded, gives a platform to a diverse range of perspectives and from a branding point of view, it’s far more closely aligned with how Meghan wants to be perceived.

‘Lemonada has produced podcasts with the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Samantha Bee and SuChin Pak, so they’re established with certain audiences already.

‘There’s obviously a little bit of pride to swallow when a partnership with a giant like Spotify ends, but the Archewell team can frame this quite easily to her advantage.

‘It’s a bit like when a band gets dropped by a major record label and then signs up with a cool indie label.

‘She’ll be swapping corporate clout for the prestige and authenticity of going with an indie.’

Harry’s dash to Britain began with an overnight British Airways flight from LAX that touched down in London just after 2pm on February 6.

Once there, he was taken to Clarence House for a meeting with his cancer-stricken father that lasted just 30 minutes and didn’t include his stepmother Queen Camilla.

The 39-year-old then spent the night in a hotel before catching a Delta flight back to LA – less than 24 hours after arriving.

It was claimed last week that Prince Harry ‘would have gladly accepted’ a reunion with his brother, William, but opted instead to stay in his hotel .

It’s believed William, 41, is remaining focused on tending to his wife, Kate, who is recovering from her abdominal surgery and is taking extended leave from public duties until after Easter

Harry popped up next in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday where he was a presenter at the NFL Honors Awards – a televised gala held at Sin City’s vast Resorts World hotel.

Presenting the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award to the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Cameron Heyward, he cracked a joke about rugby – telling the crowd: ‘I really love how you stole rugby from us and made it your own.

‘Instead of passing it backwards, just pass it forwards. Why not wear pads and helmets? Of course.

‘Have an offense and a defense – that makes sense. Why not take a breather every 15 seconds? And you know what? Instead of a 10-month season, let’s make it 18 weeks. Genius.’

Despite his chipper demeanor onstage, Harry was later pictured looking glum in the hotel’s underground parking lot and didn’t stick around to see the Kansas City Chief’s beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

On Monday came the couple’s relaunched website with Harry’s 358-word biography emphasizing his environmental credentials – despite his penchant for using private jets.

Meghan’s longer bio played up her credentials as a philanthropist but made only one mention of her acting past and none of the Royal family.

Critics said the website is an attempt to monetize the couple’s royal connections leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.

Their ‘About’ page reads: ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.

‘This includes: The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organizations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.’

The new-look Sussex.com also made much of Harry’s Invictus Games initiative which returns next year with a snow sports edition in Whistler.

During the trip, the couple will meet competitors from the US, Canada, France, Ukraine and Nigeria, among others, at a training camp in the resort.

Critics said the website is an attempt to monetize the couple’s royal connections leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.

One said: ‘They are going to have real trouble with the use of Sussex. It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down. It’s just staggering they cannot see how gauche it is.’

Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror reported that the couple did not consult palace officials before launching the new site.

The Sun newspaper also said that Harry faced claims that the crest used was out of date, after he became son of the monarch last year.

Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce believe the couple should be stripped of their titles to stop them shamelessly profiting off the Royal family.

Without the Royal family, Ms Vine said, Harry would simply be a ‘slightly thick, balding ex-soldier’ while Meghan would be a ‘moderately attractive, not very successful ex-actress’.