It looks like all interested parties have come to a resolution days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shockingly announced they are stepping back from their roles as senior members of the Royal family.
On Monday, Queen Elizabeth, via an official statement, announced the entire family is fully in support of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s intentions of stepping back albeit they prefer the couple remain as “full-time working Members of the Royal Family.”
The decision was reached after a meeting between senior members of the family at the Queen’s Sandringham estate in north London, according to CNN. Joining the Queen for the meeting were Prince Harry, Prince William and Prince Charles. Markle, who is currently in Canada, is also reported to have joined via a call.
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“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,” the Queen said in a statement, adding that they had “very constructive discussions.”
“Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives,” she said.
“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.”
Harry and Meghan, who married in 2018 have reportedly been at the center of unabated negative press, particularly from the British media. A section of people allude the constant harassment to Markle’s race, as her mother is black.
Even before Monday’s announcement, Princes Harry and William had to issue a statement denying reports from a British newspaper that claimed the brothers are at loggerheads due to William’s “bullying attitude.” According to the newspaper, which was not mentioned in the statement, Harry and Meghan were ostracized from the royal family as a result, Time reports.
“Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge,” the statement read.
“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.”
In October 2018, Prince Harry reportedly filed claims against the owners of the Sun and Daily Mirror, accusing them of phone hacking. The Duchess also sued the Mail on Sunday over allegations of illegally publishing a private handwritten letter she wrote to her father after their wedding.
In a statement after the lawsuit, Prince Harry likened the constant harassment to what led to her mother’s fatal accident.
“I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces,” he said.
Markle also opened up in an exclusive ITV special, explaining that “it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes” when she was asked how she was dealing with the pressures of motherhood and the tabloids.
She said to interviewer Tom Bradby: “Any woman, especially when they are pregnant, you’re really vulnerable… And then when you have a newborn, you know…”
Markle added: “…And also, thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I am okay”. When Bradby enquired if it would be fair to say she’s not been okay, Markle replied, “Yes”.
The couple’s decision to step back means they will no longer participate in the Rota System, which gives “UK print and broadcast media exclusive inside access to the official engagements of members of the Royal Family.”
According to the couple, they will be “adopting a revised media approach to ensure diverse and open access to their work” in the Spring of 2020, a statement from the SussexRoyal website read.
