Meghan Markle did NOT dial in to royal crisis talks at Sandringham with the Queen
14 January 2020, 15:22 | Updated: 14 January 2020, 17:18
The Duchess of Sussex was absent from the royal summit this week with Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Prince William and the Queen.
Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's announcement that they will be stepping back as 'senior' royals, the Queen held a summit at Sandringham to discuss the royal couple's future.
The gathering, which was dubbed a 'royal crisis' meeting took place on Monday this week, with the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales all in attendance.
Meghan, currently in Canada with her son Archie, was reported to be calling in to the meeting, but royal correspondents have now confirmed she was not present via phone for the meeting.
Royal editor for Harpers Bazaar, Omid Scobie, tweeted: "In the end, The Sussexes decided that it wasn’t necessary for The Duchess to join."
Emily Andrews, royal correspondent for The Sun, also tweeted: “In the end, The Sussexes decided that it wasn’t necessary for The Duchess to join [the summit].”
However, she did add that Harry was in contact with his wife during the day's meeting to keep her in the loop.
After a day of discussions yesterday, the Queen released a statement updating the public about the outcome of their meeting.
The full statement reads:
"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."
Meghan Markle jetted back to Canada to be with Archie, who was left there while the couple were back in the UK, following the announcement, while Harry stayed in the UK to discuss the future of his role in the royal family.
Before the Queen's statement was released, William and Harry released their own joint statement regarding reports of "bullying" between the siblings.
The Times reported this week that a source close to William and Harry claimed that it was William's "bullying attitude" to the couple which pushed them to step down.
The Princes were eager to set the record straight, and released a joint statement reading: "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge.
"For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful."
