With less than two years having passed since their wedding, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, made the shocking revelation that they would be stepping down from their positions as senior royals in January 2020.
The "Sandringham Summit" was the name given to the unusual emergency meeting that took place between the late Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry. That meeting was a result of their decision. Surprisingly, Meghan did not take part in the event.
Prince Harry traveled back to the United Kingdom from Canada by himself, leaving Meghan alone on Vancouver Island, which is around 5,000 miles distant. It was stated at the time that the Sussexes came to the conclusion that it "wasn't necessary for the duchess to join" by telephone.
The fact that there was no open connection to Meghan in Canada, however, was due to a particular cause, as stated by Richard Kay of The Daily Mail. "According to palace officials, such an idea was rejected because no one knew for sure who else might have been listening in. ‘This was a highly confidential family discussion, not a conference call,'” an unnamed source told the entertainment news outlet.
The encounter took place on January 13, three days after the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan were going to get married. In spite of the fact that there were only four persons present, Prince Philip made the decision to abstain from getting involved.
It was Countess Mountbatten, who had assisted in his care prior to his passing, who had driven him away in his Land Rover Freelander before Prince Harry arrived at the house. He had silently departed the house before Prince Harry arrived, as per The Mirror.
"Just how strategic this departure was, was not immediately clear. But the fact he left more than an hour and a half before the Duke of Sussex arrived was seen as significant. At 98, he no longer lays down the law as he once did and some courtiers wonder if this was his way of saying 'this is not my fight'. It may also be that by making himself absent he could not be drawn into a situation where the mantra which governed his attitude to royal life – 'you are either in the family or out' – was being tested by Harry and Meghan's wish to be part-time royals,” Richard stated at the time.
Immediately after the conference, Queen Elizabeth issued a message that was quite intensely personal.
"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," the late monarch stated.
"[Prince] 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,” Queen Elizabeth concluded.
Business Times has reached out to Meghan Markle for comments.
