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“I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that any more; we’re separate entities,” the Duke of Cambridge told a friend, according to the paper.
Clearly conversations over the Sussexes’ future were already underway internally and the monarch wanted to give royal households time to reach some sort of resolution.
In spite of how it all unfolded, the decision to step back from senior royal duties is not that surprising. While it may have seemed like something of a bombshell to casual observers, the writing had been on the wall for sometime.
Harry — and Meghan upon marrying into the family — had been among those senior royals diligently conducting engagements on behalf of the monarch. But as the family expanded and the duke slipped down the line of succession, there had been much speculation over how the Sussexes would define themselves in the royal family of the future.
Initially, the Queen, Charles and William instructed their teams to find a “workable solution” with the Sussexes within days, a royal source told CNN. The implication here that the couple’s plan, as published for the world to see on a new website, isn’t practical.
CNN was told privately that ultimately, the website needed to be edited significantly or taken down altogether because of the many inaccuracies and false assumptions presented on it.
On Saturday night as news of the extraordinary Sandringham summit emerged, a palace source also told CNN there had been a series of meetings and consultations across the last few days. The source said there were a range of possibilities for the family to review, taking into account what the Sussexes had outlined on their website earlier in the week.
Any change in the working life and role of a royal requires complex and thoughtful discussion. It still remains the wish of the Queen that this happens at pace, the source added. But there is also a genuine agreement and understanding that any decision will take time to be implemented.
One aspect of Harry and Meghan’s new role that they have put forward is working towards financial independence, meaning they won’t accept funding from the Sovereign Grant, an income from the UK government given to the Queen to carry out public duties.
However, as their website also notes, only 5% of their income comes from the Sovereign Grant. The rest — which they want to keep — is allocated at the discretion of Harry’s father, Charles through his estate known as the Duchy of Cornwall.
The couple’s website also notes that under their new plan they hope to retain their home, Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, as a base in the UK — but they’ll need permission from the Queen as it belongs to her.
Then there’s the towering security costs covered by the British taxpayer. These are some of the complex matters that the royal staff will try to thrash out in the coming days.
Their income, properties, security and even titles could become part of the negotiation process palace officials use to get to that “workable solution” that the Sussexes might also be happy with. But Harry and Meghan aren’t known for compromising so what if they refuse to retract their announcement and update the website?
There would be an impasse and the Queen could be left with a fait accompli: Go with Harry’s plan and against her heirs or ask him to step back from public duties altogether in favor of her successors. Whenever she’s been tested like this, she’s always put duty first. That’s why she’s so revered.
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