The country was their sanctuary for the past six weeks, so today the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Canada House to thank the Canadian people for their warm hospitality.

In their first public appearance since returning from Canadawhere they spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years as part of their extended sabbatical from royal dutiesHarry and Meghan went to personally thank Canadian High Commissioner Janice Charette and her staff for making them feel so welcome.

Arriving to a crowd of fans and Canada House employees Harry joked that their holiday had been wet. He was saying it had rained throughout but that they had a great time, employee Jamie Weare, who greeted the couple outside Canada House told Vanity Fair. The couple had been enjoying downtime on Vancouver Island in British Columbia for the past six weeks, and spent Christmas there with Meghans mother Doria Ragland, as well as the new year.

Vanity Fair has also been told that the couple also spent Thanksgiving in Canada, not the United States, where Doria lives.. The Sussexes have been staying at a mystery friends waterfront mansion worth about $14 million on Vancouver Island. The Instagram-friendly royals had given a clue as to their whereabouts when they posted the Canadian flag at the end of one of their festive Instragram posts; however, they kept a low profile until they were spotted out hiking by locals. Meghan even offered to take a picture of a couple who were trying to take a selfie while out walking, and on New Year's Eve they posted a picture on Instagram of Harry cuddling Archie.

Buckingham Palace had declined to say where the couple were spending their vacation but the Daily Mail revealed their holiday location last month, prompting the palace to confirm: They are enjoying sharing the warmth of the Canadian people and the beauty of the landscape with their young son.

The Sussexes are understood to have returned to the UK over the weekend with baby Archie who according to one source close to them is doing well and is so cute. Todays surprise engagement which was announced Monday night marks the couples official return to work and aides have said there will be more engagements announced over the coming days.

Ahead of their visit to Canada House the couple made a private visit to the Hubb Community kitchen which supports the Grenfell community. Meghan has forged close friendships with many women at the Hubb and helped them to compile the Together cookbook. A palace aide said she and Harry wanted to check in on the community to see how they are. The focus of the day, however, was their visit to Canada House where they viewed an art exhibition by Canadian artist Skawennati.

Janice Charette told Vanity Fair they discussed a number of issues close to the couple. It was a pleasure as always to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Canada House, for their second visit in less than a year, she said. We are delighted Their Royal Highnesses were able to enjoy warm Canadian hospitality during their recent stay in Canada. Today's visit provided an opportunity to discuss some of the common priorities and values shared by Canada and Their Royal Highnesses, such as a commitment to conservation and fighting the challenges of climate change, supporting the economic and democratic empowerment of women and girls, and encouraging young people and youth leaders in Canada and across the Commonwealth to actively engage in the social, economic, and environmental challenges of their generation.

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Head to Canada House as Details of Their Vacation Emerge - Vanity Fair