Queen Elizabeth II Breaks Silence on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Big ‘Transition’ Announcement

Shortly after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their decision to transition from their senior royal positions, Queen Elizabeth and Buckingham Palace have spoken out about the news. And their statement paints a different picture of what’s really going on in the royal family in light of this major decision.

Buckingham Palace released an official statement about the news on Wednesday, Jan. 8, per the BBC. In their message, they revealed that the discussions over this transition were in an “early stage,” despite what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex detailed.

“Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” the statement read. “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that we will take time to work through.”

Buckingham Palace’s statement seems to imply that the royal family and the Sussexes are not exactly on the same page about this transition (just yet, that is). But, Markle and Harry are clearly confident that this is the right decision for them.

As previously detailed, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their major decision to step away from their roles as “senior” royals on Jan. 8 via their official Instagram account.

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” their statement read. “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.”

“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment,” they continued. “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.”

Markle and Harry continued to detail that this new transition is the best move for their family.

“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity,” the couple revealed. “We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties.”