Queen Elizabeth wanted Harry and Meghan to remain full-time royal family members

Queen Elizabeth has released a statement regarding Prince Harry and Meghan's decision to step back from the position of senior royals. In response to the Prince and his wife's shock announcement, the Queen gave her aides a 72-hour ultimatum and also called for a family meeting that would be attended by most of the members of the senior royalty.

Queen wishes Prince Harry would have stayed

According to the statement released by the Queen, the royal family (including the Queen) are very supportive of the decision made by Prince Harry and Meghan. The Queen added that she fully understands the desires of the pair to create a new life and respects their desire to become financially independent.

Prince Harry and Meghan announced their decision on Instagram on Wednesday and have also expressed desires to not be reliant of public funds anymore. Harry's American-born wife Meghan returned to Canada before the royal family meet but reports have suggested that she attended via conference call.

In her shocking statement, while the Queen has agreed to the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan she also announced a period of transition where the couple will have to divide their time between the UK and Canada. One of the most telling revelations made in the Queen's statement was the despite wishing Prince Harry and Meghan the best for the future and agreeing to their demands the Queen clearly stated that she and the remaining members of the royal family would have greatly preferred if Prince Harry and Meghan had remained 'full-time working members of the royal family'. 

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Local media has reported that the Queen has asked Prince Harry and Meghan not to issue a public statement just yet, she wants them to work out their financial, logistics, and public-relations strategy before issuing a public statement. Since coming into the limelight after her engagement to Prince Harry, Meghan has reportedly had to deal with sometimes racist press coverage and media outlets have suggested that it was Meghan's inability to properly adjust to the UK that forced the Prince to make such an announcement.

The Queen and her younger grandson have had a close relationship as reported by local media. According to the information provided on the Buckingham Palace website, Prince Harry served ten years in the Army and undertook two tours of Afghanistan. The Prince continues to work towards helping fellow servicemen and helping wounded vets adjust to life after service.

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(With inputs from Agencies)