Prominent Canadian businessman and philanthropist Frank Giustra has stepped forward to address media speculations about his alleged ownership of a mansion near Victoria, British Columbia where Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, "plotted their shock exit from the royal family", as Page Six put it.
Last week, the newspaper claimed in an article titled "Canadian Billionaire Frank Giustra Providing Luxe Hideout for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle" that multiple sources "with knowledge of the situation" said that the mansion is owned by Giustra, even though Harry and Meghan themselves refused to disclose the owner’s identity.
In response, Giustra tweeted that he does not own a home "in or near" Victoria, British Columbia, and that he has “never been contacted by a member of the British Royal family, by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, or by any of their representatives”, describing the aforementioned article as "error-filled".
"Unsurprisingly, the New York Post used this non-story as an opportunity to recycle a series of lies about me that have been repeatedly and definitively disproved by The New York Times, Fox News, and the US Department of Justice, among others", he complained. "Once again, the Post has confused fake news and for evidence-based investigative journalism".
Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their intent to step down as senior members of the British Monarchy, triggering a row that was unofficially nicknamed "Megxit".
Moving to deal with this situation, Queen Elizabeth has called for a family meeting to be held on 13 January at the Sandringham estate to discuss the situation.