Queen Calls Crisis Summit, William Reportedly Saddened by Split from Brother

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of
Paul Grover- WPA Pool/Getty Images
Victoria Friedman

Queen Elizabeth II has called a family crisis summit to resolve the Meghan and Harry issue, while Prince William has reportedly expressed his “sadness” at the broken bond with his only brother.

On Saturday night, palace sources told media that the Queen will call her son Prince Charles the Prince of Wales, and her grandsons Prince William the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex to Sandringham on Monday for a “family meeting”. It will be the first time that the four will have met together to discuss the crisis at the heart of the Royal Family.

Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, who returned to Canada 24 hours after she and Harry dropped the bombshell that they would be stepping back as “senior” royals, is expected to be joining the conference by telephone.

On Wednesday, the Sussexes announced in a statement made on Instagram that they would be seeking “progressive” new lives, become “financially independent”, and would be splitting their time between North America and the United Kingdom.

Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Kensington Palace have been under pressure to come up with a workable solution to the couple’s demands, with a source telling ITV that Monday’s meeting would address “the thinking the Sussexes outlined” and review the “range of possibilities”.

Problems may arise over the ‘hybrid royalty’ model the Sussexes proposed versus the reality of senior members of the Royal Family eschewing commercial endeavours whilst in service to the Crown. There is also the question of funding, the use of Crown residences, and security.

“Making a change to the working life and role in the Monarchy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex requires complex and thoughtful discussion,” a Buckingham Palace source said.

–Prince William reportedly said of his brother, “We’re separate entities”–

Meanwhile, The Times reports that a friend of Prince William has spoken of his “sadness” over how he and his younger brother have drifted apart and have become “separate entities”.

“I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that any more; we’re separate entities,” the newspaper of record said Prince William told a friend.

He is reported to have continued: “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 team.”

The remarks come after a separate source speaking to The Mirror said that Prince Charles fears that the split between The Firm and the Sussexes will deepen and become permanent.

The crisis surrounding Harry’s and Meghan’s announcement lies not in that the young couple wish to change their roles within the Royal Family, but that the decision and statement were made without the Queen’s knowledge and before a mutual plan had been agreed. The Mirror reports that the couple had informed friend Elton John of their decision before telling Her Majesty.

The Daily Mail reports that Prince Harry is set to join Meghan, their son Archie, and their dogs in Canada within the next couple of weeks. Sources have said that the fact they had sent their dogs to Canada six weeks ago signalled that from its earliest planning, the trip was always intended to be more than just a holiday.

The source said: “Both the duke and duchess adore their dogs and Guy [a beagle] has already been relocated from Canada to London once when Meghan moved over.

“She wouldn’t have considered a move again for him if it wasn’t going to be at least semi-permanent.”

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