Here's Why Meghan Markle Didn't Call Into the Queen's Family Summit

When Queen Elizabeth hosted her historic royal family summit in Sandringham on Monday (January 13), there was one very important member missing in action: Meghan Markle.

But don't worry! There's a reason behind Meghan's absence from the discussions, and it's a lot more mundane than you may have imagined. Despite previous reports that the Duchess fo Sussex would be calling into the meeting via phone from Canada, Buckingham Palace announced today that would no longer be the case.

"In the end, the Sussexes decided that it wasn’t necessary for the Duchess to join," the Palace said in a statement. In short, Meghan and Harry came to the joint decision that Meghan's presence simply wasn't needed.

The summit was held at the Queen's country home on Monday in an effort to work through Meghan and Harry's recent bombshell decision to step down from their royal duties. Following the discussions that took place, Queen Elizabeth released a statement revealing the outcome of the meeting.

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"Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family," the emotional statement read. "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” she continued. “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family."

"Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the U.K.," she concluded. "These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days."