The young couple had announced their intention of moving away from full-time royal duties and work towards gaining financial independence instead.
When Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan announced last week that they are going to step back as senior members of the royal family, they landed themselves right in the middle of controversy. They had apparently not consulted with the family before going public with their announcement. They had said that they seek to become financially independent and split their time between the UK and North America. The royal family was in the midst of a crisis and it was an all-hands-on-deck situation.
After the couple made the announcement, initial reports from Buckingham Palace claimed that the family was hurt over their choice. The Queen had issued a statement saying that these were complicated matters and discussions were at an early stage. Finally, the royal family came to an agreement it seems with the Queen releasing a statement saying that their discussions have been "constructive." The young family wants to carve out a new life for themselves away from the critics aka British tabloids, and the family seems to be on board with it now.
The Queen and Princes Charles, William, and Harry met at the Queen's countryside home in Sandringham, where the family spends their winter break. Markle, who is in Canada with her son, Archie, was expected to have called in from there to be part of the meeting, according to the Independent.
After the meeting in Sandringham, in a statement published on the royal family's official website on January 13, the Queen said, "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 Queen's statement concluded.
There were speculations by British newspapers, like DailyMail, that the young couple will lose their titles. What sparked those assumptions was the fact that the Queen addressed them as Harry and Meghan instead of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. DailyMail also said that the Sussexes have moved their son Archie, household items, and dogs to Canada, indicating that there is no immediate plan of returning to the UK. However, Prince Harry and Markle had said that they intend to split their time between the two continents.
The statement from the Queen is also being seen as a show of unity within the family after reports claimed that Prince William "bullied" Prince Harry and Meghan Markle out of the family. The brothers have said that the newspaper's claims were "inflammatory" and "offensive."
"Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge. 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," the joint statement from them said, according to BBC.
References:
https://www.royal.uk/statement-her-majesty-queen
