Queen goes out of her way to help Prince Harry

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to divide time between Canada and Britain as talks on their new role continue.

The Queen with Harry and Meghan on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for a RAF flypast in July 2018. Picture: AFPAFPLondon

The Queen has issued an un­precedented personal statement giving her reluctant support to Prince Harry and wife Meg­han’s ­decision to step back from royal duties.

After talks with Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry, the Duke of Sussex, at Sandringham, the Queen said on Monday night (Tuesday AEDT) that 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 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 seemed 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 the talks — apparently held in the Long Library at Sandringham, the Queen’s private estate in Norfolk — lasted no longer than 90 minutes.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sus­sex, is thought to have joined the conversation on the telephone from Canada, although aides would not confirm this.

The historic family conference was called by the Queen after Harry and Meghan announced last week that they wanted to step back from their roles as “senior members” of the royal family and divide their time between Britain and North America. They said they wanted to become financially independent and be free to earn their own income.

After the meeting, royal author Ingrid Seward said: “The first round has gone to the Sussexes. It feels that the royal family are bending over backwards to try and help.”

The statement from the Queen was unusually informal in tone and emphasised the extent to which she has taken personal charge of the crisis. She was “entirel­y supportive” of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life and said they remained “a valued­ part of my family”.

Although there were “complex matters” that required more work, she said she had asked for final ­decisions to be reached “in the coming days”.

Palace officials will be expected to work out the details of an arrange­ment before it is approved by the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family.

Effectively a holding statement, the announcement gave no clue as to whether the family reached agreement on questions of security, titles, financing, royal duties and how the couple might earn a living.

The length of the transition period­, what it is for and what it will lead to also remain unclear.

Palace officials refused to give further guidance about the meeting, suggesting they were anxious that no details should be leaked.

Unusually for an official release from Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s statement referred to “Harry and Meghan” rather than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, although it also mentioned the Sussexes. “Whether it means that they want to give up their titles I don’t know,” Seward said. “It might point to that.”

Royal biographer Penny Junor said: “It is quite a warm and conciliato­ry statement, which says absolutely nothing. They have decide­d that Harry and Meghan must go off and do what they want to do, and they will support them.”

Prince William and Harry ­earlier put on a display of unity as they moved to dismiss claims that their falling-out had played a part in the Sussexes’ decision to step back from the royal family.

In a statement, the brothers said a “false story” in a British newspaper used inflammatory language that was “offensive and potentially harmful”.

“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,’’ it said. “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 is understood they were referrin­g to an article in The Times that quoted a source who knows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex well. The source said Harry and Meghan regarded themselves as having been pushed away from the royal family by the “bullying” attit­ude of Prince William.

They added that the response of the Cambridges to Harry and Meghan was “not very friendly”.

The Times