What Queen Elizabeth Said About Harry and Meghan's Split From the Monarchy

In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released a shock announcement revealing that they intended to "make a transition" in their professional lives, effectively stepping away from their positions as full-time working members of the royal family.

The announcement of their intended "progressive new role" came as the couple sought to become "financially independent" in an effort to remove the public interest justification for media intrusion into their lives by operating without state funding.

Along with the details about their financial goal, the couple also announced their intention to split their time between Britain and the United States.

This, it was hoped, would not prevent them from "continuing to honour our duty to The Queen" and "collaborate" with the monarch, as well as Prince Charles (now King Charles III), Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The announcement came amid press reports of a speculated "royal rift" and its release through the couple's website brought with it claims that they had blindsided the 93-year-old monarch—something Harry has since passionately denied.

The announcement provoked a rare statement from Buckingham Palace, issued with the queen's blessing and led to a formal meeting between the monarch, Harry, William and Charles known as the Sandringham Summit.

Ten days after the proposal for their "progressive" hybrid role was made, it was announced that the couple would completely step away from their working roles with the monarchy, with a 12-month grace period.

The dramatic announcement inspired news reports around the world, and though many speculated on how Queen Elizabeth regarded her grandson and his wife's handling of the split, what the monarch said on the record amounts to very little by comparison.

However, what the queen did say bookends one of the most dramatic periods in the monarchy's modern history, revealing the conflict between crown and family that has been heavily dramatized on stage and screen.

Here, Newsweek looks at everything Queen Elizabeth II said on the record about Harry and Meghan's split from the monarchy.

These Are Complicated Issues

Within hours of Harry and Meghan posting their January 8, 2020, statement detailing their hopes to carve out new working roles for themselves within the monarchy, Buckingham Palace issued a response.

The statement told the world that the plans laid out in the Sussexes' announcement were not final and that the family discussions around them were only at an "early stage."

The statement was interpreted by some as an attempt by the palace to prevent Harry and Meghan from controlling the narrative and attempting to force the palace's hand into action.

The "discussions" were continued between the palace and Harry during the Sandringham Summit, which took place five days later at the queen's Sandringham country estate in England on January 13.

I Recognize the Challenges They Have Experienced

Prince Harry described the Sandringham Summit in his 2022 Netflix show and 2023 memoir as a tense meeting resulting in Prince William screaming and shouting a his brother while he watched Queen Elizabeth "quietly sit there and sort of take it all in."

The prince said he was presented with five options of working royal models to choose from, number one being no change to the Sussexes' full-time roles and five being stepping back and complete separation.

Harry told readers of his Spare memoir that he believed the summit was for "show" and that the palace aides had already decided that option five—complete separation—was the only viable choice.

Five days after the summit, option five was announced, and with the formal details a personal statement from Queen Elizabeth was made.

In it, the monarch said she was "pleased" with the result of the discussions as a "constructive and supportive" way forward for Harry and Meghan.

She acknowledged the "challenges" the couple faced with tabloid scrutiny and also stated that she was "proud" that Meghan had "become one of the family."

Not Possible To Continue

The Sussex's split from the monarchy was made with a 12-month review period built in to allow for them to return should they decide life outside the palace machine wasn't for them.

In February 2021, a statement from Buckingham Palace, authorized by Queen Elizabeth, confirmed that as a result of the year elapsing, Harry and Meghan would lose their royal patronages and associations which they had been allowed to retain for the review period.

This included Meghan's role as patron of Britain's National Theatre and Harry's military appointment as colonel of the Grenadier Guards.

The statement made clear that these would be returned to the crown and redistributed to other members of the royal family in due time. It also stated that the queen had written to Harry and Meghan telling them that in stepping away from the royal family, "it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service."

In a rebuttal statement from the Sussexes' U.S.-based team, they would dispute this, stating in part that: "We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."

The Buckingham Palace statement ended with the clear directive that despite being saddened by their decision to leave, Harry and Meghan would "remain much loved members" of Queen Elizabeth's family.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.