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The Queen breaks silence on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal exit in new statement
13 January 2020, 17:14 | Updated: 13 January 2020, 17:33
The Queen has released a statement following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's shock announcement last week.
The Queen has broken her silence in a statement a week after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced they would be stepping down as senior royals.
Following "crisis talks" at Sandringham today, Her Majesty released a statement explaining they had had "constructive" discussions and that she is "entirely supportive" of Harry and Meghan.
Prince Charles, Prince William, the Queen and Prince Harry were at the Queen's Norfolk home today to discuss the logistics of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's future.
READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ignore royal exit drama as they return to Instagram
Meghan Markle is believed to have called into the meeting from Canada, where she currently is with baby Archie.
The full statement from the Queen 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."
It was only last week Meghan and Harry announced their new plans via social media, telling their fans they would be stepping down as "senior" royals, and would work to become "financially independent".
The shock announcement has received mixed reactions across the UK and the world.
Since then, there have been many reports across the media about the reasons behind the royal couple's decision, and who of the royal family knew.
Earlier in the day, William and Harry responded to one story that claimed Meghan and Harry had resigned because of William's "bullying behaviour".
In a joint statement, the brother denied the claims, writing: "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."
