Queen Elizabeth II On Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Royal Exit -- It's a 'Complex FAMILY Matter'
Roughly a week after the biggest royal plot twist of the year and after tons of speculation from in and outside the Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II finally breaks her silence on the most controversial royal exit in history.
In the official statement released on Monday, the 93-year-old Monarch confirmed that her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, have officially stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family.
"Today, my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family," the Queen said. "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family."
The Queen admitted that although the royals preferred having the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as a full-time member, they "respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part" of the family.
Her Majesty also acknowledged Prince Harry and Meghan's wish to become financially independent as they lead a private life ahead of them.
"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," the statement continued.
In the end, Queen Elizabeth II described Meghan and Prince Harry's exit as a "complex matter" that requires more work for the family to resolve.
Although the Queen did not address Meghan and Harry as Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it is very clear that the Royal Family has officially set them free of their duties.
Her Majesty's official statement came after she reportedly conducted a meeting with the entire royal household. The so-called "Sandringham Summit," which is said to have ended in two-and-a-half hours, aimed to figure out the family's next step and what is ahead of Prince Harry's future.
Meghan reportedly joined the meeting over the phone as she recently returned to Canada, where she and Prince Harry spent their much-needed family break with their eight-month-old son, Archie.
It was just five days ago when the 38-year-old former "Suits" actress and 35-year-old Prince Harry had taken everybody by surprise when they announced their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family.
View this post on Instagram“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST
In the statement they released in Sussex's official Instagram account, they revealed their decision "to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution."
Meghan and Harry said they have decided for their family to balance time between the United Kingdom and North America while they continue to support Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Prince William.
The royal couple also revealed that one of their agendas upon exit is to launch their own charitable institution, which full details, among others, will be shared in the coming days.
Although we would love to rejoice that Meghan and Harry are now officially out of the royal family, the transition concerning their title, security, funding and logistics is still set to be ironed out.
