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Celebrity

Queen Elizabeth Just Made a Statement About Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but Didn't Call Them "Duke and Duchess of Sussex"

 

January 13, 2020, 11:55 AM CST

• Queen Elizabeth has released her first official statement following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's decision to step back as senior royals.
• The Queen said she understands Meghan and Harry's "wish to live a more independent life as a family."

Welp, it looks like we have a brand spankin' new update on today's episode of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Quit the Royal Family! Remember last week when you were completely minding your business, and then Meghan and Harry decided to up and leave the British monarchy as senior royals, allegedly without asking for permission to do so? Feels like an entire lifetime ago, doesn't it?
To put it in layman's terms, the other royals were pissed TF off when they learned of Meghan and Harry's move to step back as senior royals. Queen Elizabeth issued a brief statement through Buckingham Palace and called their unplanned exit a "complicated issue" that needed more time to be discussed.

Photo credit: VICTORIA JONES - Getty Images

“Discussion with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” the statement read. “We understand the desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

Following this statement, the Queen called for a Very Important Family Meeting™ — which has now been called the Sandringham Summit by royal spectators— in order to discuss the status of Harry and Meghan's roles within the royal family as they step back from their senior duties. I would have literally given my left leg for a chance to be a fly in the room, but unfortunately, I—and everyone else—had to settle for the official statement that the Queen released herself detailing the conclusion the family came to.

She wrote:

"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."

Uh, is that some passive aggressiveness I detect in this statement? Maybe. (See: "Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family...") And did the Queen not address Meghan and Harry by their formal Sussex titles? Nope, you didn't imagine that either. So from what I gather from this statement is that while the Queen and the rest of the royal fam is less than thrilled, Meghan and Harry have officially been let go. What a time to be alive!

Now if you need me, I will be waiting with bated breath for Meghan and Harry's possible upcoming tell-all interview—bye!