The Queen’s statement on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in full: ‘We would have preferred them to remain full-time Royals’

The Queen has backed requests from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to stand down as “senior royals” and rely on their own income.

In a statement issued by Buckingham Palace on Monday, Her Majesty said they had held “very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family”.

However in a sign of cracks at the highest levels of the royal household, she admitted that it had been her wish for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to remain as full-time working members of the family.

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.”

Leaving Britain

It was also agreed that the young royals would be permitted to split their lives between the UK and Canada; the first official confirmation of where the family are expected to move to.

The landmark decision – without precedent during the Queen’s time as monarch – came after a day of meetings at Sandringham, attended by The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and, by phone from Canada, Meghan Markle.

The most complicated question of how to portion up their royal duties and income has not been resolved, however, with discussions set to continue over coming days.

“Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives,” the Queen continued.

“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 in full

“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.”