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When Queen Elizabeth released her statement on Monday following the Sandrigham summit with Princes Charles, William and Harry , she did not refer to Meghan Markle and her grandson with their formal royal titles like last week. Rather than addressing Archie Harrison ’s parents as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Her Majesty instead used their personal names, Harry and Meghan, not once, but twice! Though the Queen did reference Sussex at one point stating the “Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.”
Throughout the statement, the monarch used the word “family” eight times. The message was released after the Queen’s private meeting with Charles and his sons to discuss Meghan and Harry’s future. In her statement, the Queen voiced her support for the Sussexes’ “desire to create a new life as a young family,” but admitted she would have “preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family.”
The statement also noted that “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.” The royals agreed that there will be a period of transition in which Meghan, Harry and their son Archie will divide their time between the UK and Canada. The Queen added, “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.”
Last week, Meghan and Harry shocked the world by announcing their plan to step back as senior members of the royal family. The couple declared that they want to “carve out a progressive new role within” the monarchy and “work to become financially independent.” At the time, Buckingham Palace released a statement referencing Meghan and Harry as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex . “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” the statement read. One day after sharing their plans, Meghan left the UK to reunite with her son Archie, who was reportedly left in Canada .