Statement: Queen Elizabeth agrees to Harry and Meghan's move as royal family drama simmers
The royal showdown has come to a temporary halt. . .
Buckingham Palace has released a statement on the future departure of The Dutch and Dutchess of Sussex following a meeting with senior royals today. Queen Elizabeth said she had a "constructive' meeting (billed a "crisis summit" in the media) with her grandsons and the Royal Family "entirely supports" Harry splitting their time between North America and England during their "period of transition." Harry's wife, Meghan Markle was in Canada during the talk.
They discussed the title, finances, roles and responsibilities of a couple that seeks to reflect more progressive part of the British institution, as expressed in their joint resignation announcement shared on Instagram. Queen Elizabeth said the matter is complex and a final decision is expected to be made in the coming days. In so doing the Royal Family must come to terms with the staggering request to have a member of the British monarchy essentially carve their own path in life, defying hundreds of years of traditions.
The following palace statement gave enough detail to indicate Queen Elizabeth does not want the tension over Harry's royal rights to increase or ruin her family:
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 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.
The central issue following Harry's last week announcement that he desires to detach from the royals was their giving up reliance on financial support and figuring out who would pay for security costs for the couple. Princess Diana did not have security when she died, a concern that was addressed in the past.
Harry had expressed concerns of this children growing up under the glare of the paparazzi, which has been unavoidable since he wed the interracial American actress Markle. Both parents seem to want to protect Archie from the limelight without denouncing the throne.
Harry had expressed concerns of this children growing up under the glare of the paparazzi, which has been unavoidable since he wed the interracial American actress Markle. Both parents seem to want to protect Archie from the limelight without denouncing the throne.
Over their less than two-year union, there were bumps in the road from the start between Meghan, 38 and Harry, 35. Meghan had been wanting to leave for a while. The New York Times has pinpointed racism as the main sources of the upset. Online insults and attacks were evidence that Brits were not comfortable having a person of color as a royal. In interview Meghan confirmed that she was not comfortable with her experience. By many accounts it seemed that Harry was doing what he could to ease the pressure. He proved early on that Meghan is the queen of his heart when sending out a statement for paparazzi to leave her alone when they were dating.
British publication The Guardian explained further that there could be some issues with the perception that independent of the family Harry and Meghan could benefit from the royal brand, giving the impression that they are taking advantage of the royal status. But they also say, Harry would not be completely separated from his bloodline duties and he has implied he does not fully want to be. He said in a statement that their son Archie would be raised with "appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born."
The Royal Family was reportedly blind-sighted by Prince Harry's resignation announcement. As an interracial royal, Meghan has struggled with adjusting to the demand of the her role. She has also not been embraced fully inside and outside of the palace. Since the announcement, people have been upset that taxpayers paid for the wedding and their Sussex home and wanted to know f they would continue to under the new arrangements. Another factor for the Sessexes distancing themselves is the tension between them and Prince William and ate Middleton.
From The Guardian. . .
"They will remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but retaining their HRH status has risks. They say they will carry out royal duties “as called upon”. As such, they will be representing the Queen and the UK. But they also want to be “financially independent” and able to earn an income. One pitfall is a risk of conflict between their royal and charitable roles and any commercial interests. Potentially, it leaves them open to accusations of cashing in on their royal status, or of tarnishing the royal brand."
At 94, it is big-hearted of the Queen of England to let go of watching her great-grandchildren grow up close by.
There are rumors of a rift between Prince William and Harry, but both released statement that reports of the elder prince bullying Harry are false.
