Royals: Meghan Markle did not take part in Queen’s crisis summit with Harry

Details emerge why the Duchess of Sussex did not join in the historic summit about her future.

Harry and Meghan are set to quit as senior royals and relocate to Canada after approving the blessing of the Queen.

The Duchess of Sussex did not after all join the historic royal summit about her future role with Prince Harry, it has emerged.

Meghan, who is in Canada, was expected to phone in to the summit at Sandringham yesterday at which the Queen, the Prince of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry agreed that the Sussexes should step back from royal duties.

However, it has now emerged that the Sussexes decided that Harry could represent the couple’s views on his own.

A royal aide said: “In the end, the Sussexes decided that it wasn’t necessary for the duchess to join.”

The Queen issued an unprecedented personal statement giving her reluctant support to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to step back from royal duties.

After the talks the Queen said she would have preferred her grandson and his wife to have remained “full-time working members” of the royal family. But she accepted their wish to lead an independent life and said that there would be a “period of transition” in which they would divide their time between Canada and Britain.

The statement used the word “family” eight times and the Queen appeared to be going out of her way to offer reassurance to the couple.

However, she also made clear that the “constructive discussions” had not fully resolved significant questions about the future role of the Sussexes and there was more to be done.

It is believed that the talks, apparently held in the Long Library at Sandringham, the Queen’s private estate in Norfolk, lasted no longer than 90 minutes.

Johnson confident family can resolve drama

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he believes the royal family can resolve the drama surrounding the plans of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who want to break free of their royal roles and move to Canada.

Mr Johnson told the BBC that the monarchy will be able to find solutions. “My view on this is very straightforward: I am a massive fan, like most of our viewers, of the Queen and the royal family as a fantastic asset for our country,” Mr Johnson said. “I’m absolutely confident that they are going to sort this out.”

He said the senior royals will be able to find an amicable way forward “much more easily without a running commentary from politicians.”

Harry and Meghan ignited the latest crisis by unilaterally issuing a statement last week indicating a desire to step back from most royal duties and become financially independent. They have decided to spend at least part of their time in Canada, a Commonwealth country where the Queen is head of state and Meghan worked for seven years while filming the TV series Suits.

The move annoyed senior royals who had not been consulted, sparking the so-called Sandringham summit that brought together the 93-year-old queen, her eldest son and heir Prince Charles, and Prince William, who would follow his father Charles to the throne, along with Harry.

Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

The Queen says Harry and Meghan can split their time between Britain and Canada.

Few details emerged, but the Queen’s statement afterwards indicates the family won’t seek to block Harry and Meghan’s bid for independence from royal roles they clearly find restrictive.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking after the Queen made clear the couple has chosen Canada as its alternate destination, said his country welcomes the news but has issues to discuss, including the possible cost to taxpayers of providing security for the well-known royal couple.

“I think most Canadians are very supportive of having royals be here, but how that looks and what kind of costs are involved, there are still lots of discussions to have,” he told Canadian TV, adding that no formal talks between the British and Canadian governments have been held.

Britain’s royals are protected by a special unit of London’s Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard, at a cost that is not made public because of concerns that details about its operation could compromise the royals’ safety.

In addition to cost concerns, it is likely that special arrangements would have to be made to allow London police to operate on a long-term deployment in Canada.

Many financial questions remain. The Queen says Harry and Meghan don’t plan to use public funds when they step back from royal duties, so it is possible they may be asked to pay for security out of their own pockets.

The royals seem to be adopting a “go slow” attitude toward the breakaway couple, with the Queen talking about a period of transition.

Harry and Meghan have declared that one of their goals is to become financially independent. It is not known if they will continue to receive financial support from Harry’s father, Prince Charles, who uses income from the Duchy of Cornwall estate to support a variety of royal activities. The estate generated more than £20 million pounds last year.

Harry and Meghan have announced plans to launch a major charitable institution in the coming year, but details haven’t been made public. In the past they have focused on female empowerment, wildlife protection, ending the stigma surrounding mental health problems and other issues.

They just took a six-week vacation in western Canada with their infant son Archie. Meghan has returned to Canada after a brief visit to London last week.

The Times, AP