The meeting ended shortly before 5 pm, with Carlos, Harry and William being seen leaving Sandringham’s estate, where Isabel II has been in business since Christmas. In a statement, Buckingham Palace has announced that it respects the Sussex decision to “create a new life as a young family.”
“Today my family discussed the future of my grandson and his family very constructively,” the queen first announced in a statement just minutes after the end of the meeting in Sandringham. “My family and I fully support Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would prefer to keep working full time as members of the royal family, we respect and understand your willingness to lead a more independent life. […]”Said the queen through the statement.
The entrance to Sandringham Estate where this afternoon’s meeting took place © Leon Neal / Getty Images
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“Harry and Meghan have made it very clear that they do not want to be dependent on public funds in their new lives. It has been agreed that there will be a transitional period during which the Sussex will spend time in Canada and the United Kingdom. My family has complex issues to solve and there is more work to do, but I asked for final decisions to be made in the coming days, ”the statement said.
Harry and Meghan want to move away from the real-life agenda, leaving the roles of “senior members” of the royal family, moving to North America and claiming “financial independence.” The case was immediately known as Megxit. The decision came through Instagram after Isabel II allegedly asked the couple to wait to make the news public. Circumstances automatically set the couple on a collision course with the values and precepts of the British monarchy. Harry may be sixth in the line of succession, but his departure from the hard core of royalty has raised questions about titles, security, financial sustainability and, ultimately, the nature of the actors themselves.
Journalists set up in Sandringham this Monday © BEN STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images
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The queen hurried to find a resolution to the case, immediately gathering the royal offices. Harry and Meghan, who had flown to London early last week after a seven-week retreat in Canada, which includes the entire holiday season. The duchess returned, the duke remained in his majesty’s lands awaiting the outcome. This Monday, Isabel II called Carlos, William and Harry to Sandringham for a meeting, which will start at 2 pm after Harry arrived by car. Meghan has been given the opportunity to attend the remote meeting by telephone, although there is no confirmation that it has done so.
According to The Guardian, there may be six topics to discuss at this family gathering, starting with the titles themselves. While expressing a desire to move away from royal affairs, Harry and Meghan were unwilling to relinquish the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a domain registered in March last year for the new official website launched last week. The Archie couple’s and baby’s residence can be another of the themes on the table. If in fact Meghan wants to apply for British citizenship, he cannot spend more than 90 days abroad. On the other hand, with the possibility of a partial move to the North American continent, the question arises: what happens to Frogmore Cottage? The house is owned by the queen and was remodeled last year, worth 2.7 million euros, to house the couple. The amount was borne by the taxpayers.
% of people with a positive opinion of these major royals:
The Queen, 80% (-2 since October)
Prince William, 79% (-2)
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, 70% (-6)
Prince Harry, 55% (-16)
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 38% (-17)https://t.co/Y4Ztop6V5k pic.twitter.com/HzPePn1mfF– YouGov (@YouGov) January 13, 2020
Security is one of the most covered topics of this that Megxit made public. As members of the royal family, Harry and Meghan would continue to demand full-time security, an expense that would increase exponentially for the British royal house. According to the Evening Standard, Justin Trudeau has already suggested that it is the Canadian state to cover these costs, but are Canadian taxpayers willing to do so? The couple’s funding has also been a topic of conversation. The Sussex call for “financial independence,” but as members of the royal family covered by the Sovereignty Fund (public grant with money from British taxpayers) they are prohibited from earning income from commercial activities. Even if they are free of this status, they can easily be accused of making money at the expense of royal prestige.
Divided between the UK and Canada, The Guardian also anticipates taxes as another issue to debate.reiterating that both countries may claim rights to the couple’s income. Finally, to maintain some representative functions of the British crown, you have to decide how sussex will balance official obligations and your own lifestyle, which encompasses social and environmental causes and a possible foundation.
After Isabel II’s announcement, made public in the late afternoon, most of the points remain unclear. The monarch claims only to understand the will of the Dukes of Sussex, and it seems that she will retain the noble titles of the couple. At the same time, the queen seems to accept that Harry and Meghan continue to play a role in representing the interests of the British crown, even across the Atlantic.
Monday afternoon’s meeting may have come to an end without any decisions being made public, but later in the day further clarification took place, starting with statements by Priti Patel, British Home Secretary, who contradicted the theory of Harry that the alleged press attack on Meghan Markle would be motivated by covert racism. That same afternoon, Harry and William came to denounce as false the news that the removal of the Sussex would be a consequence of bullying by the rest of the family. “For siblings who care so much about mental health issues, this use of inflammatory language is offensive and potentially harmful,” they clarified.
Prince Harry stays in the UK until at least Thursday, the day the Duke of Sussex has his first official appointment after the outbreak of the Megxit case as Rugby Football League patron Ralph Rimmer. The event consists of a scheduled reception for Buckingham Palace.
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