Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their shocking announcement to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family” last week, there has been a frenzy of media attention and questions swirling over the future of both the couple and the monarchy. Buckingham Palace was reported to be in “crisis mode” as they scrambled together a series of emergency meetings over the last few days to discuss a solution that would work for both the Sussexes and the royal family.
Today, it looks like they may be one step closer to reaching that solution as Queen Elizabeth has released a statement following a two-and-a-half hour family summit in Sandringham to discuss the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s future.
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” the Queen said in a what can be described as a deeply-personal statement. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
She added: “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days.”
The Queen summoned Harry, Prince Charles and Prince William to meet at Sandringham – her country estate in Norfolk – to discuss the matter. Meghan was expected to have participated in the discussion via phone, as she returned to Canada last week.
Royal historian and biographer of the Queen, Robert Lacey, spoke to PEOPLE about how unprecedented Her Majesty’s statement was. “It was incredibly personal. I can’t recall a royal statement where one gets the sense so much of the Queen herself speaking. Using phrases like ‘my family and I’ is very moving. It clearly shows her wish to resolve everything.”
The Sussexes’ decision allegedly left senior royals “hurt” and “deeply disappointed.” It led to a number of media reports speculating as to what could have led to the shakeup, including claims that Harry and Meghan were being “driven out” by members of the royal family, which palace insiders have denied.
In an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby last fall, Harry did not deny rumors of a rift between he and his brother admitting that they “were certainly on different paths at the moment,” but that they would always be there for each other.
In an another unexpected turn of events today, Prince William and Prince Harry released a joint statement denying a story run by the Times of London claiming that the break down between the brothers was reportedly caused by William’s “bullying.”
“Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge, said the statement. “For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful.”
When Meghan joined the Royal family in May of 2018, she and Prince Harry were seen to be powerful forces in transforming the monarchy along with Prince William and Kate Middleton. Dubbed “the Royal Fab Four” by the media, this younger generation of royals were not only believed to be modernizing the royal institution but its charitable works as well. The princes were highly praised for their ‘Heads Together’ campaign, which tackled the stigma of mental health illness.
In fact, the “Royal Fab Four’s” first official engagement was a forum for the Royal Foundation in February of 2018 held to showcase its philanthropic and charitable projects. The Royal Foundation was set up by William and Harry in 2009. Kate and Meghan joined the foundation as patrons upon marriage.
In June of 2019, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were separating themselves from the Royal Foundation in order to create their own.
Just when we will see the “Fab Four” together again is unclear at the moment, but one thing remains for sure, this generation of royals is certainly doing things their way.
