‘Megxit’ summit: Queen Elizabeth gives blessing for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to go it alone

There will be a transition period during which couple will spend time in Britain and Canada, according to statement issued after royal crisis talks

Royal family would prefer that they remain ‘full-time working members’, but respects and understands their wish to ‘live a more independent life’

Reading Time:3 minutes

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth hosts a reception at Windsor Castle in April 2019. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:35am, 14 Jan 2020Updated: 7:40pm, 14 Jan 2020

Queen Elizabeth on Monday allowed her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to split their time between Canada and Britain during a “transition period” in which the family will figure out how to deal with their shock resignation from front-line royal duties.

The monarch said she held “very constructive” talks between Harry and his older brother Prince William and their father Prince Charles aimed at charting a course through the fallout of the bombshell announcement.

Meghan reportedly joined the conversation by phone from Canada after abruptly jetting out of Britain last week.

Their effective resignation on Wednesday followed a year filled with rumours of infighting between the brothers and reports of Meghan a biracial American actress with a strong social media presence – feeling unwelcome in the highly traditional and structured royal family.

“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” the 93-year-old queen said in a statement after the first day of meetings at her Sandringham estate in eastern England.