Prince Harry and Meghan Markle once again found themselves in the spotlight, this time at a well-known Indian restaurant in Vancouver.
Accompanied by their close friend Michael Bublé and his wife, they waltzed into the establishment in what was said to be a celebratory meal for the Invictus Games. However, as is often the case, the true spectacle of the evening was not the veterans or the event itself but rather the Sussexes’ choice of dining venue. If this scene sounds familiar, that’s because it is. A nearly identical dinner unfolded at the same restaurant last year, likely featuring the same over-the-top displays of gratitude toward the staff and the same carefully staged photo opportunities.
The moment was meant to appear spontaneous and genuine—if one could ignore the fact that it had already been done before. The restaurant’s chef and owner, Vikram Vij, played along with the charade, later sharing that the couple enjoyed a hearty meal, with Harry indulging in a rack of lamb while Meghan opted for pasta with prawns in a coconut milk sauce. Hard-hitting Invictus coverage, indeed.
However, the true stars of the evening weren’t the Sussexes or even Michael Bublé, a man who seems increasingly willing to attach himself to any cause for a paycheck. Instead, it was the unimpressed kitchen staff whose expressions in the photos conveyed a simple question—why was their time being wasted on this? According to Vij, Harry and Meghan were “gracious and grateful,” even making a point to return to the kitchen to personally thank the staff. How convenient, then, that a photographer was on hand to capture every heartfelt moment of this supposedly spontaneous act of appreciation. If only they had extended the same courtesy to their former palace staff back in the UK.
Adding to the spectacle was the Sussexes’ security team, which reportedly swept through the restaurant as if they were safeguarding nuclear secrets. Unsurprisingly, the staff did not seem particularly eager to roll out the red carpet this time. Once bitten, twice shy. The most amusing moment of the night, however, came courtesy of Meghan’s strategic photo positioning. While Harry remained where he was, Meghan made a beeline for Bublé, placing herself right beside the singer and creating an awkward physical distance between herself and her actual husband. It was almost as if she had sprinted over to claim the spotlight, ensuring that she, not Harry, was the evening’s leading lady.
While the Sussexes dined in style, one might wonder about the actual veterans of the Invictus Games. What were they eating? How were they spending their evening? Unfortunately, such details remained buried beneath the headlines, which focused exclusively on what Harry and Meghan were having for dinner. The Invictus Games, once a noble initiative meant to uplift wounded warriors, has now become little more than a backdrop for their endless PR campaign. What started as a mission to honor veterans has been overshadowed by a vanity project in which the service members themselves have become nearly invisible while B-list celebrities take center stage.
And then, of course, comes the inevitable question—who picked up the bill? Given Harry’s well-documented reluctance to reach for his own wallet, one can only assume the meal was conveniently covered by one of the many nonprofits the couple operates. After all, when your lifestyle is funded through endless foundations, dinner is always free—at least for them. And so, another Invictus Games rolls on, another Sussex dining tour is complete, and yet another round of perfectly staged photos with unimpressed kitchen staff floods the internet. The performance continues, carefully curated to maintain the illusion of being down-to-earth and appreciative—just as long as the cameras are rolling.
