‘Entirely supportive’: Royal crisis talks end as Queen Elizabeth approves Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure
Prince Harry spoke to the Queen solo, without his wife Meghan Markle, as he negotiated the couple’s dramatic exit from the royal family.
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Prince Harry spoke to the Queen solo – without Prince Charles or Prince William – as he negotiated his dramatic “Megxit” from the royal family.
The outgoing royal was said to have arrived at the Queen’s Sandingham estate two hours before a crisis meeting, to speak with Queen Elizabeth privately.
Friends told the Daily Mail that Prince Harry wanted to speak with his grandmother one-on-one and the Queen was “deeply disappointed” with the outcome.
The family “divorce” meeting was later attended by the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry, and lasted only 90 minutes. It was described as “calm” by palace sources.
The Queen later publicly announced she would not stand in the way of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, as they start a new life in Canada and step away from full-time royal duties.
Despite previous reports Meghan Markle did not dial into the meeting via phone from Canada, as this “was a highly confidential family discussion, not a conference call”, the Mail reported.
The Sun said Meghan joined the meeting for a portion of time but that this “was about a family coming together to try to heal hurt and be constructive face-to-face”.
“They’ve worked out the main issue — that Harry and Meghan want to break away and the Queen has agreed to that,” the source added, according to The Sun.
“Now the finer details need to be worked out by their staff and by the Government.”
In a rare personal statement, the Queen said: “Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family”.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” her statement continued.
“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.”
The Queen’s reluctant decision is an unprecedented move in the royal family and has been compared with the abdication of King Edward in 1936.
Previous royal statements, including one last week reacting about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure, usually referred to the couple by their official titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
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There was debate whether the common touch meant the Queen was planning now to strip them of their titles.
That was dismissed by royal commentators, who said it was a sign of how personal the issue was to the Queen.
There were few details this morning of how the couple would become part-time royals, with security and finances still up in the air, but with another promise of more news within days.
Prince Harry and Meghan have been staying rent free at a multimillion-dollar mansion on Vancouver Island in Canada during a six-week break, with Meghan expected to remain there.
There was no confirmation that Meghan had dialled into the conference call this morning as expected.
The couple’s desire to pay their own way has complicated the discussions.
“Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives,” the Queen said.
“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.”
It remains unclear what work they could do and whether they may be restricted from spruiking products because of their links to the royal family.
No details were released about whether they will keep their royal titles.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan was scathing of the royal couple. “BREAKING: Harry/Meghan have successfully bullied the Queen into letting them have their cake & eat it,” he tweeted following the Queen’s statement.
And Morgan criticised Prince Harry for telling Disney chief executive Bob Iger that Meghan was available to do voiceover work.
It has since emerged that Disney gave Meghan voiceover work in exchange for a donation to a wildlife charity Elephants Without Borders.
“The more you watch this, the more cringe-making it gets,” Morgan said, of the video showing Prince Harry speaking to Mr Iger.
“Especially when you know Harry missed a big Royal Marines (he’s their Captain General) memorial service to be at this Lion King premiere, hustling his wife’s voiceover skills to the boss of Disney.”
However, Prince Harry has had support from some of his fellow soldiers, amid reports that he had been struggling with his mental health.
David Wiseman, who helped Prince Harry found the Invictus Games for wounded soldiers, defended him today.
The ex-soldier, who was shot in Afghanistan, said Prince Harry deserved more respect.
“Prince Harry has served this country in and out of uniform,” he said on Twitter.
“Operated in AFG (Afghanistan) on the ground and in the air. Been a champion of the Armed Forces Community for many years. His work has supported thousands and inspired millions. Please remember this when commenting on duty. #PrinceHarry.”
However, James Glancy, a former captain in the Special Boat Service, said Prince Harry had lost the respect of some in the armed forces.
“He’s done two tours of Afghanistan. I was there for one of his tours … He’s done brilliant work in charity since he’s left the Armed Forces, especially with the Invictus Games, but his behaviour in the last year is not becoming of somebody that holds these important positions, these patronages, including that of the Captain General, “ he said on LBC radio.
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“Everybody agrees that if he wants to leave these positions … he’s absolutely entitled to have another life, and he’s entitled to live overseas. But you can’t do this half and half. You’re either in or out,” he added.
The royal family has denied claims that they forced Prince Harry and Meghan out.
There has also been a storm over whether racist reporting prompted Meghan to feel unwelcome in the UK.
Home Secretary Priti Patel denied that there was racism towards Meghan in the Press.
“I’m not in that category at all where I believe there’s racism at all. I think we live in a great country, a great society, full of opportunity, where people of any background can get on in life,” she said BBC Radio 5 Live.
Asked if the media had been in any way racist, she replied: “I don’t think so, no … I certainly haven’t seen that through any debates or commentary or things of that nature.”
Ms Patel did not provide details when asked about the couple’s security arrangements when they moved to Canada.
“I’m not going to provide any detailed information on the security arrangements for either them or any members of the royal family or for any protected individuals – that’s thoroughly inappropriate for me to do so,” she said.
MEGXIT SUMMIT SHOWDOWN
Earlier, Prince Charles was pictured leaving the “Megxit” summit after a marathon two-and-a-half hours of crisis talks over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from the royal family.
The princes were also seen leaving the Queen’s Sandringham estate.
Prince Harry sat down with the Queen, Prince William and Prince Charles – with his wife dialling in from Canada after the pair announced they were quitting as royals. It was reportedly the first time he had seen his family since the shock announcement.
Prince Harry arrived at 11.20am local time (10.20pm AEDT) to have lunch with his father, according to the Daily Mail’s royal correspondent Rebecca English.
Prince William arrived at 1.45pm local time (12.45am AEDT) from his nearby home, Anmer Hall, about 15 minutes before the planned start of the summit.
The Queen reportedly gave Prince Harry a document detailing his options, including the downsides of his plans to move to Canada to escape the spotlight.
They were also expected to discuss titles, living arrangements, security, funding, taxation and future royal duties.
ROYAL COVERAGE ‘RACIST’?
Meanwhile, the fallout from “Megxit” continues to rock Britain. Former TV actress Meghan was widely welcomed as a breath of fresh air for the royal family when their engagement was announced in November 2017.
But Prince Harry and the ex-Suits star have lashed out at negative news coverage since the wedding — some of which Harry says was racist — in light of Meghan’s bi-racial heritage.
As crisis talks were being held at Sandringham, Home Secretary Priti Patel, Britain’s interior minister, rejected suggestions that Meghan had been subjected to racist press coverage.
“I’m not in that category at all,” she told BBC radio. “I certainly haven’t seen that through any debates or commentary.”
British commentator Piers Morgan also denied he was racist after his stinging commentary on the couple.
He was taken to task for his use of the word “exotic” when discussing Meghan, amid claims she has been subject to racism because of the colour of her skin.
“Name one example of me being racist – you are saying this but you have to prove it – where am I being racist?” he said on Good Morning Britain.
He later wrote on Twitter that it was a lie that Britain had forced Meghan out, as he showed some compassion for Prince Harry.
“He seems to be a very lost soul,” he said of the Duke of Sussex.
“Terrible way to treat his grandmother, let alone the Queen.”
WILLS, HARRY DENY ‘BULLYING’ CLAIMS
Earlier, Prince Harry and Prince William united to say they are “deeply, deeply unhappy” about claims the latter’s “bullying” caused the royal split.
The Duke of Sussex was originally said by a royal source to have felt pushed out of the royal family by his big brother.
But he has spoken out with Prince William in a rare joint statement, slamming the “offensive” claims ahead of crisis talks being held by the Queen at Sandringham.
“Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge,” the statement read.
“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.”
It comes as the Queen is preparing for a mega summit with other senior royals as the under-siege family thrashes out a Sussex solution following Prince Harry’s decision to quit royal duties.
QUEEN WANTS ‘SUSSEX SITUATION’ RESOLVED
The Queen had stipulated that she wanted the “Sussex situation” as it has become known, resolved quickly to prevent further damage to the establishment.
But the foundations of the British monarchy could be rocked further if Prince Harry and Meghan press ahead with a highly-rumoured tell-all interview on US television, likely to be with Oprah Winfrey’s best friend Gayle King.
The CBS host has denied the claims that the interview was booked, but British journalist Tom Bradby, writing for The Sunday Times, said it would be explosive if they did go ahead.
“I have some idea of what might be aired in a full, no-holds-barred sit-down interview and I don’t think it would be pretty,” he wrote.
There have been claims the couple would call the royal family “racist and sexist.”
The Queen, dressed in a camel coloured coat and hat, prayed at her church service at Sandringham on Sunday.
Wearing a hearing aid for the first time in public, the Queen attended the service with her grandson Peter Phillips, 42, the son of Princess Anne.
He said the Queen was “all right” when asked how she was coping with Prince Harry and Meghan’s bombshell.
Prince Charles flew back to the UK visiting Oman to offer his condolences following the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said.
The Prince of Wales was first introduced to the Sultan during a 1986 royal tour with Princess Diana.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly spent their recent Canadian break in a Vancouver Island mansion owned by controversial Canadian billionaire Frank Giustra.
The rent on the property was estimated to be $100,000 for their six-week stay, although The Sun last night reported the former stockbroker loaned them the property for free.
Giustra travelled to Kazakhstan with Bill Clinton in 2005 before the businessman acquired shares in the country’s state-run uranium mines, the New York Post reported.
He also gave more than US$30 million to the Clinton family’s charity.
Prince Harry and Meghan were due to receive a warts and all run down of the tax bill they will incur if they do walk away from the family completely.
There will also be tax implications if Meghan does paid work for voiceovers or returns to acting.
The royal couple feel they have been driven out of the family and want to start a new life.
However, the cost and complexity of their security bill will be a stumbling block.
Scotland Yard has been sending a roster of officers over to Canada to look after them, some of whom missed their Christmases with their families.
The Canadian government may have to take on some of the duties of protecting the royals, in what would be an unprecedented move.