It’s been a rather dramatic few weeks in the royal family. Yet, a statement from Queen Elizabeth herself points to hopefully better days ahead for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
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“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” a statement read after the family discussions that took place on Monday (Jan. 13.). “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 statement went on to say that the young family will now spend their time between homes in both Canada and the UK, and that they are not looking to be ‘reliant on public funds in their new lives.’
“This is not how they wanted to handle this, but Meghan and Harry’s hand was forced,” a friend of the couple tells People magazine. “There is so much bad blood in that family — it’s toxic. If relationships had been better, things would have been different.”
Despite all of this, it sounds as if the conversations regarding their breakaway from the royal family will continue.
“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,” the statement concluded.
[RELATED: Prince Harry Speaks Out About the Pain His Wife Meghan Markle is Going Through]
The statement came after Prince Harry and Meghan announced that they would be stepping back as senior members of the royal family and wished to live independently on their own in North America.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” Prince Harry and Meghan’s statement read in part. “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”
