Prince
Harry to attend crisis talks with Queen and senior royals today
Meghan
likely to dial in from Canada for unprecedented royal summit at Sandringham
Caroline
Davies
Mon 13 Jan
2020 07.00 GMTLast modified on Mon 13 Jan 2020 08.37 GMT
The Queen
will host crisis talks at an unprecedented royal summit at Sandringham on
Monday, with implications not just for the future of the Duke and Duchess of
Sussex, but for other members of the royal family.
The Queen
will be joined by Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry – with
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, likely to dial in from Canada – and will seek to
make key decisions on how the couple fulfil their desire to “step back” from
frontline royal duties and become self-funding.
The crunch
meeting at the Queen’s Norfolk estate comes after five days of turmoil amid
claims that the Sussexes feel “driven out” of the royal family.
As the
crisis continued, William expressed his sorrow over the breaking of the
brotherly bond. “I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do
that any more, we’re separate entities,” he told a friend.
“I’m sad about that. All we can do, and all I
can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we’re all
singing from the same page. I want everyone to play on the same team,” the
Sunday Times reported him as saying.
As the
beleaguered Queen attended church at Sandringham on Sunday, Charles was in Oman
attending the funeral of Sultan Qaboos bin Said. He was flying back in time to
attend the summit, aides said.
It will be
the first face-to-face meeting between members of the royal family since Harry
and Meghan dropped their bombshell on Wednesday. The couple wish to split their
time between the UK and North America, to become financially independent and to
be allowed to earn an income without royal constraints.
The day
after the announcement, Meghan flew back to Canada, where the couple spent six
weeks over Christmas with their baby son, Archie. Their two dogs are also in
Canada, prompting speculation Meghan has no plans to return in the immediate
future.
After days
of briefings and counter briefings, the atmosphere will undoubtedly be tense.
Palace sources have claimed the Queen, Charles and William had been blindsided
by the timing of the couple’s announcement, and were “disappointed” and “hurt”.
But the
Queen will want all personal feelings to be put one side and for the family to
adopt a pragmatic approach. She is keen for a swift resolution to prevent
lasting damage to the monarchy.
The
Sussexes also want a quick solution, with a source saying it was in everyone’s
interests that the matter be “figured out quickly, but not at the expense of
the outcome”.
The issues
under discussion are complex. Whatever is decided will have huge implications,
including for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the two youngest of William
and Kate’s three children, and how they will be able to live their adult lives.
Any decisions
are likely to reshape the monarchy under Charles, and provide a very different
model to what has pertained during his mother’s long reign.
Sources
stress that whatever progress is made on Monday, there is “genuine agreement
and understanding that any decision will take time to implement”.
The royals
will thrash out exactly how Harry and Meghan see their new “progressive” role.
Talks will centre on how much time they intend to spend in North America and in
the UK, and where Archie will be raised. How many royal duties they would
undertake, and how the couple would be funded, are also key.
Questions
include whether the couple should keep their titles. They want to be able to
earn an income, but face the risk any commercial interests could leave them
open to accusations of cashing in, or of tarnishing the royal brand.
One
compromise could be a Commonwealth role. The head of the civil service, Sir
Mark Sedwill, is understood to have been exploring the potential of such a
role. Harry is president, and Meghan vice-president, of the Queen’s
Commonwealth Trust. Canada – which appears to be the couple’s preferred base –
is also a realm, with the Queen as head of state.
If the
family fails to keep the couple onside, they run the risk of a no-holds-barred
interview, according to ITV’s Tom Bradby, who is considered a friend of the
couple.
“I don’t
think that would be pretty,” said Bradby, who said he had a long heart-to-heart
with Harry while in Angola making the documentary in which the couple spoke
candidly of the strains of royal life.
Writing in
the Sunday Times, Bradby described a “toxic” relationship in which the couple
had found some members of the royal family to be “jealous, and at times,
unfriendly”.
“There is
no doubt Harry and Meghan feel they have been driven out,” he said. “They
appear philosophical about the prospect of losing their titles, and becoming,
in the end, entirely self-funded.”
The couple
say they intend to retain Frogmore Cottage, their official residence at
Windsor, gifted by the Queen. Critics, however, have demanded they refund the
£2.4m of public money spent refurbishing it for them.
On their
new website, Sussexroyal.com, the Sussexes claim they were originally offered
Apartment 1 in Kensington Palace as a home for their growing family.
But it was
“estimated to cost in excess of £4m for mandated renovations including the
removal of asbestos”, and would not have been available to occupy until late
2020.
Of
Frogmore, the website states: “The refurbishment cost equated to 50% of the
originally suggested property for their proposed official residence at
Kensington Palace.”
The royal
showdown: everything you need to know
Titles,
funding, roles, and the question of a middle way will be on the table at
Sandringham
Caroline
Davies
Mon 13 Jan
2020 07.00 GMTLast modified on Mon 13 Jan 2020 08.39 GMT
Who will be
there?
The Queen,
Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, with the Duchess of
Sussex likely to be dialling in. It is being billed as a “family” meeting.
Senior royal aides will attend only if requested. The royals will have read
documents in advance outlining the implications of different proposals. The
scenarios have been drawn up by officials following consultations, including
with representatives of the UK and Canadian governments.
What are
the issues?
Pinning
down exactly how Harry and Meghan see their future “new progressive” roles.
Discussions will include how the couple will divide their time between the UK
and North America, and whether they can they retain their HRH titles.
The central
issue will be how they are to be funded, and who will foot their security
costs.
They will
remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but retaining their HRH status has
risks. They say they will carry out royal duties “as called upon”. As such,
they will be representing the Queen and the UK. But they also want to be
“financially independent” and able to earn an income. One pitfall is a risk of
conflict between their royal and charitable roles and any commercial interests.
Potentially, it leaves them open to accusations of cashing in on their royal
status, or of tarnishing the royal brand.
What does
the Queen want?
First and
foremost, she wants real progress to be made on Monday. Officials have been
asked to work “at pace”. She wants a plan within days. She and other senior
royals will want to keep the couple within the institution as far as is
possible, but she will want them to feel that they have been given real and
proper opportunity to explore a new way of working, and not feel pressured into
something they do not want.
What
exactly do Harry and Meghan want?
Their new
website is scant on detail. They have expressed their intent to “step back”,
but to continue with charitable work, and to support the Queen when asked.
Primarily, they want the ability to earn an income unfettered by royal
constraints. They want to give up the sovereign grant money, which is about 5%
of their present expenditure excluding security and official overseas travel.
The rest is met by Charles, through his Duchy of Cornwall income. One issue
will be how much Charles is prepared to pay as the couple transition to
becoming “financially independent”.
Is there a
middle way?
A
Commonwealth role could be a compromise, releasing them from the day-to-day
grind of the royal diary, yet allowing them to live overseas and perform on a
global stage. Harry is already president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and
Meghan is vice-president.
Canada,
which appears to be their chosen destination, is a realm, with the Queen as
head of state. There may be a way of engineering a hybrid royal role. The head
of the civil service, Sir Mark Sedwill, is understood to have been exploring
the potential of a Commonwealth role.
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