Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get set for a warm welcome as they arrive for the Invictus Games in Canada today - with their Montecito neighbour Katy Perry and Chris Martin performing at the opening ceremony of the games

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle mightiness beryllium getting the acold enarthrosis successful California, but they tin expect a overmuch warmer invited successful Canada erstwhile they get for the Invictus Games today.

Despite the freezing conditions they are apt to beryllium welcomed by locals whose enthusiasm for the mates is successful stark opposition to those crossed the borderline successful the US.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's popularity has taken a nosedive with the US media turning against them. Residents successful the ace affluent enclave of Montecito wherever they unrecorded successful a £10m mansion person besides reportedly been little than enthralled by their presence.

Celebrity mag Vanity Fair enactment the brace connected the beforehand screen with the header 'America Hustle' publishing a devastating instrumentality down of their beingness successful America.

They were besides precocious criticised successful their foundation endeavours to assistance radical near homeless aft the devastating fires that swept crossed Los Angeles and accused of being 'disaster tourists' portion Meghan's gushing Instagram video implicit securing immoderate Billie Eilish T-shirts has been panned.

But successful Vancouver, which hosts the Prince Harry inspired Invictus Games for injured and sick subject veterans, galore of their fans are eagerly awaiting their accomplishment aboriginal today.

The mates are expected to marque the 2.5 hr formation from Santa Barbara airdrome successful a backstage chartered pitchy and cheque into a metropolis centre hotel.

It volition beryllium the 5th clip they person attended the Invictus Games arsenic a mates having antecedently brought their prima powerfulness to Sydney, Australia, The Hague successful Holland and Dusseldorf successful Germany successful 2023 wherever Meghan was mobbed by enthusiastic fans. 

With finishing touches being enactment to venues crossed the city, workmen person been braving sub-zero temperatures astir sites specified arsenic the city's Convention Centre wherever sporting events for wounded and injured subject veterans volition beryllium held implicit the pursuing week.

Black and yellowish banners with the games slogan 'I Am' were being erected astir the waterfront centre which volition big each the indoor sports, including wheelchair hoops and volleyball.

Pavements astir the venue successful the coastal Canadian metropolis and the BC Place stadium, wherever Harry volition invited the 500 competitors from 23 countries, were being cleared of snowfall and the crushed gritted.

Temperatures volition hardly get supra freezing with snowfall flurries expected each week - a large quality to the lukewarm wintertime upwind enjoyed successful sunny California.

Their Montecito neighbour Katy Perry volition execute astatine the opening ceremonial connected Saturday on with Chris Martin from Coldplay successful beforehand of a sell-out assemblage of 40,000 spectators. Nelly Furtado, who antecedently performed astatine the 2007 Concert For Diana, has besides been invited to instrumentality the signifier by Harry.

Coldplay beforehand antheral Martin volition sing the Invictus anthem having been asked to constitute the opus by Prince Harry for the event. It volition the archetypal clip helium has performed the opus for a unrecorded audience.

Harry volition besides marque a code welcoming the wounded athletes and their families to games which volition beryllium divided betwixt Vancouver and the Whistler skis edifice wherever daytime temperatures are expected to plunge to -14.

Locals person said they are looking guardant to seeing some the Prince and Meghan.

'I deliberation they volition beryllium precise warmly welcomed here,' said Will Kostlivy,42.

'I'm from Toronto wherever Meghan filmed 'Suits' and person been a large instrumentality of hers. She gets a atrocious press, but I inactive similar here.'

Aayush Damathia,27, said helium was pleased the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would enactment the spotlight connected the metropolis and praised their efforts successful highlighting problems faced by servicemen and women.

'I deliberation they bash a precise bully occupation and bash their champion to assistance people' helium said.

'I cognize that the radical of Vancouver volition emotion having them here. I cognize they are not successful the royal household anymore, but truthful galore radical similar them'.

Harry and Meghan are fondly remembered successful Canada having moved to Vancouver Island successful 2020 erstwhile they discontinue royal duties successful what became known arsenic 'Megxit'.

They aboriginal relocated to Montecito successful California but Harry has made 2 trips backmost to the Vancouver, known arsenic the metropolis of solid owed to the ample fig of precocious emergence operation blocks, to beforehand the 2025 Games.

At the past games successful Dusseldorf, Germany successful September 2023, Meghan was fixed a stone prima invited each clip she attended events – mobbed by fans and posing oregon selfies.

Locals expect akin scenes astatine the Vancouver Convention Centre wherever the indoor sports are held and aboriginal successful the skis edifice of Whistler wherever adaptive wintertime sports specified arsenic alpine skiing and snowboarding volition beryllium staged.

Colin McCallum and his household had flown from their location successful New South Wales, Australia to be the games.

Navy seasoned Colin volition beryllium competing successful 4 events and spoke highly of Harry and his dedication to promoting the Games and interest for the payment of injured and sick servicemen and women.

'He has done a fantastic occupation and I it would beryllium large to conscionable him,' said Colin who was successful Vancouver with his woman Kerryn and children 11 twelvemonth aged Josh and 13 twelvemonth aged Stephanie.

Joanne Smit said she was a large instrumentality of the Royal household and said it was bittersweet that Harry was nary longer involved.

'He is specified a bully feline and was truthful popular. It is simply a shame that helium does not spell backmost to his family, but I conjecture helium has his ain beingness now'.

Denise Anderson said:' Everyone knows who Harry and Meghan are and it is large that they are present and doing specified a bully occupation successful making radical alert of the games'.

Other locals besides voiced their support of the couple.

Meghan Davies, 35, said: 'I truly similar Meghan and however she stands up for herself. There are a batch of radical that privation to instrumentality her down but helium is precise strong'.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex volition marque their archetypal quality unneurotic connected Saturday astatine the opening ceremony.

Harry volition invited the 500 competitors from 23 countries with his praise for those taking portion mounting the code for the week of events.

Meghan volition beryllium attending but is not scheduled to speak.