It is the most dramatic royal story in a generation. Last week, Harry and Meghan announced that they would step back from their lives as senior royals, and divide their time between the UK and North America. Royal sources jumped into overdrive, establishing that their plan wasn't fully thought through. But that began to change yesterday as the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry met at Sandringham to construct a solution for the biggest break since Brexit. Now, new reports of what went on have emerged.
According to The Daily Mail, Harry arrived early - up to two hours, in fact - so that he could speak with the Queen alone. Their closeness is well documented, and he may have hoped to appeal to her as a grandson, rather than a prince. One person who was not involved, though, was Meghan. Despite reports that she would dial in from Canada - depending on timezones, The Mail states that this was vetoed over concerns that the line could be intercepted. Despite this, Meghan later released a statement denying this claim.
Details of the private meeting are scare, but the same report states that Prince Charles warned Harry that his new life would not have 'unlimited resources', and that he and Meghan could not depend solely on him for financial support.
These new updates follow an official statement released by Buckingham Palace yesterday, on behalf of the Queen, announcing that she was on board with her grandson's departure.
'Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,' it reads. '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.
'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.'
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