The Queen reveals she is now 'entirely supportive' of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal departure

Queen Elizabeth II is "entirely supportive" of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, amid their decision to step down as senior members of the Royal Family.

The 93-year-old monarch held talks with her grandson, his brother Prince William, and his father Prince Charles on Monday following his announcement last week that he and his wife Meghan will be stepping back from their royal duties.

And the Queen has now said that whilst she "would have preferred" to see Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, continue as "full-time working members" of the Royal Family, she is supportive of their final decision.

In a statement, she said: "Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family.

A statement from Her Majesty The Queen. https://t.co/IVSyfeojqk
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 13, 2020

"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."

The Queen’s statement went on to explain that Harry and Meghan - who have eight-month-old son Archie together - will not be relying on "public funds" in their life outside of the royal family, and will be spending time in both the UK and Canada.

She continued: "Harry and Meghan have made it clear 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."

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“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

The monarch says there is still "more work to be done" on the final negotiations, but she hopes talks will be finished within "the coming days".

She said: "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."

- Bang! Showbiz

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