Queen Accepts Harry And Meghan’s Decision To Live In Canada

Queen Elizabeth II has agreed to grant more independence to Harry and Meghan and let them live in Canada for remaining part of the year, while firmly affirming their membership of the royal family.

In a written statement released Monday, the sovereign said that the main members of the royal family held a “constructive” summit on this subject.

They agreed that there would be a transitional period during which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would share their time between the United Kingdom and Canada. The Queen clarified that there are still details to be worked out, but that this will be done in the coming days.

The summit, which took place in the royal domain of Sandringham, in the east of England, was the first since Harry and Meghan announced last week their intention to withdraw from their royal functions, without notifying d first the Queen or other family members.

“My family and I fully support Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” said the queen in the statement. “Although we would have preferred them to remain, active full-time members of the royal family, we respect and understand their wish to live their family life more independently, while continuing to remain an important part of my family. “

A statement from Her Majesty The Queen. https://t.co/IVSyfeojqk

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 13, 2020

The meeting brought together the Queen, her son Charles and her grandsons William and Harry. Meghan apparently participated by phone since she is in Canada, where she returned last week to find her son Archie. The little family spent the holidays in British Columbia.

Buckingham Palace said that “a range of possibilities” would be discussed as to the outcome, but that the queen was determined to resolve the situation quickly. The palace, however, stressed that “any decision would take time to be implemented”.

One of the outstanding questions is to determine what financial independence means for members of the royal family, and what activities they can engage in to earn money.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also faced with questions about paying security costs.

Some British media have reported that Canada has agreed to bear the costs of their security, but Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Monday that nothing has been decided yet. The Canadian government has also not assessed how much it could cost.

“We still want to be a good partner for the Commonwealth countries, but at the moment we have not considered [this] issue,” he said in French in response to questions from journalists.