Duke and Duchess of Sussex 'defied Queen' over statement release

Duke and Duchess of Sussex 'defied Queen' over statement release

Announcement they were stepping back as senior royals ‘blindsided’ palace

Caroline Davies and Ben Quinn

Thu 9 Jan 2020 18.01 GMTLast modified on Thu 9 Jan 2020 18.18 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/09/duke-and-duchess-of-sussex-defied-queen-over-statement-release

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent a copy of their explosive statement to Prince Charles and Prince William just 10 minutes before it was released on Instagram.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex defied instructions from the Queen not to go public with their bombshell announcement they are to step back as senior royals until details of their plans had been fully discussed, it has been claimed.

The Guardian understands that the couple went ahead regardless, sending a copy of their explosive statement to Prince Charles and Prince William just 10 minutes before it was released on Instagram, and without any further consultation.

Buckingham Palace was said to have been “blindsided” by the release of the statement while talks were at such a very early stage. Senior family members were reportedly left feeling “disappointed” and “hurt”.

As myriad questions remained unanswered, the sequence of events leading to the announcement emerged.

Harry originally contacted his father about spending more time in Canada and America just before Christmas, but was told he needed to come up with a thought-out plan, according to details first reported by royal editor Robert Jobson on the Evening Standard.

He then sent a draft proposal about his planned new role to Charles early in the new year, but was informed more time was required to think through the complex implications, particularly over funding.

Harry then sought a meeting with the Queen as soon as the couple and son Archie returned from their six-week break from royal duties. He was told the Queen would only meet him after he had discussed the plans in detail with Charles, sources told Jobson.

The planned meeting was blocked by courtiers, but the Queen is said to have made it clear the couple should not go public at this time.

No senior royal knew in advance the wording of the statement, penned personally by the couple, or that it was about to be released.

Amid fallout over the news, there was said to be a willingness at the palace to make the new roles work. But, senior advisers have stressed, there are “complicated issues” to work through.

In their statement on Wednesday, Harry and Meghan said they intended to “step back”, split their time between the UK and North America, and work to become “financially independent”. A new “progressive role” would see them freed from palace constraints, allowed to earn income, promote their causes while also “continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages”.

A number of royal commentators have criticised the decision, with some describing it as the biggest surprise since the Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.

Dickie Arbiter, a former palace press secretary, said of the couple’s actions: “It seems to be a succession of doing things their own way, which is the wrong way.” Royal author Penny Junor said it had echoes of when Diana announced she was stepping back from 50 of her charities without consulting anybody. “The problem is that they are not working for themselves, they are working for a family firm, and to be making announcements of this sort without consulting is beyond bizarre”.

But Meghan received support from her close friend Jessica Mulroney, Canadian stylist and wife of Canadian TV presenter, Ben Mulroney, who posted a quote attributed to US singer and filmmaker Gina Carey, saying: “A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.”

On their new website, sussexroyal.com the couple said they received just 5% of their funding for official duties from public money through the sovereign grant, the formula for funding the monarchy that replaced the civil list in 2012.

The remaining 95% of their funding comes from Prince Charles’s private income from the Duchy of Cornwall. However, it is understood that the 5% figure does not include travel expenses or their round-the-clock security detail.