A statement announcing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family was hastily rushed out because Meghan was ‘on the brink’, sources say.
Prince Harry reportedly grew concerned of his wife’s welfare in the UK and fast-tracked plans to take a step back from Royal duties.
Meghan caught a plane back to North America just one day after the bombshell announcement was made.
A statement announcing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family was hastily rushed out because Meghan was ‘on the brink’, sources say
Prince Harry reportedly grew concerned of his wife’s welfare in the UK and fast-tracked plans to take a step back from Royal duties
Scene of the showdown: The Queen has summoned Princes Charles, William and Harry to her Sandringham Estate (pictured) on Monday for unprecedented crisis talks to resolve the Sussex situation
According to sources, the Duchess felt more comfortable returning to North America than staying in the UK, where Harry has remained to deal with the fallout of their decision.
A separate source told The Sun on Sunday: ‘The statement was rushed out and part of the reason for that is that Harry knew he needed to take swift action.
‘Meghan has not settled in the UK and he knows that and wants her to be happy.
According to the source, the couple’s six-week break in Canada helped Meghan to determine that her family would be better off splitting their time across the Atlantic.
The source added that Harry decided to move quickly, fearing that staying in the UK for too long would lead to his wife ‘having a meltdown.’
The Queen driving in Sandringham, Norfolk, on Saturday afternoon wearing a headscarf, was seen driving away from the estate in her Land Rover at lunchtime
According to the source, the couple’s six-week break in Canada helped Meghan to determine that her family would be better off splitting their time across the Atlantic
It comes as the Duke of Cambridge has said he is unable to even ‘put an arm round’ his younger brother nowadays, after a rift saw them grow apart over the past year.
Harry and Meghan’s intention to quit as senior Royals has widened the gulf between the two siblings, with William understood to be ‘incandescent’ over his brother’s blindsiding of the Family.
But as the brothers gear up to come face-to-face at the Queen’s high-stakes crisis summit at Sandringham on Monday, the second-in-line to the throne confided in a friend his raw agony over the cracked sibling bond.
He said: ‘I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that any more – we’re separate entities,’ according to the Sunday Times.
William also spoke of his frustration that Harry is no longer part of the ‘team’ by deciding to become ‘financially independent’ in a pared-back Royal role.
Yet he hopes that there will ‘come a time’ when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be ‘singing from the same page’ once again.
Prince William is desperately sad that the once close relationship he enjoyed with Prince Harry has been wrecked, it was claimed by a friend on Saturday night
The Queen, who was pictured ashen-faced behind the wheel of her Land Rover on Saturday, is also said to be concerned for the mental fragility of her grandson Harry, according to a royal source speaking to the Mail on Sunday.
After laying down a 72-hour ultimatum to aides on Friday to hammer out a solution to the Sussexes’ future roles, Her Majesty summoned Princes Charles, William and Harry to her Norfolk Estate to put an end to the turmoil ravaging the monarchy – while Meghan is expected to join the discussions via a conference call from Canada.
Courtiers have quickly crashed together a document outlining several blueprints for Harry and Meghan’s new position within the Royal ranks.
Palace staff will also spell out the punitive taxes which could be inflicted on the couple, should they press ahead with their plans to resign from frontline duties.
However, a royal insider confirmed to the Sun on Sunday that the Sandringham Summit will extend to the ‘next steps’ for the entire monarchy, which is staring down the barrel of its worst crisis since 1992’s Annus Horriblis, when both Charles and Diana, and Andrew and Sarah Ferguson both divorced.
Commentators have drawn parallels between the New Way Ahead Group – when the senior Royals bunkered down 28 years ago to chart a path out of the chaos – and the Queen’s urgency to stamp out the Sussex situation immediately.