Queen Elizabeth II has broken her silence on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. It turns out the reports were true: The queen really did host a family meeting on Monday, January 13, to discuss the situation with Meghan and Harry. And shortly after, she released this lengthy statement to the public:
“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. 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 U.K.
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.”
See the statement for yourself, below:
From this, it appears the queen is relatively on board with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s decision to step out on their own and become more financially independent. But it’s clear decisions and logistics still have to be hammered out.
In their original statement announcing this news, Markle and Prince Harry wrote, “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. “
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