Queen Elizabeth Keeps Calm and Drives on Amid Final Plans for Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Exit

Queen Elizabeth has been keeping busy in Sandringham.

The royal matriarch, 93, was spotted taking a drive around Sandringham on Saturday, as she provided a conclusion to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s unprecedented decision to step down as senior royals.

For the outing, the Queen wore a patterned headscarf wrapped around her head as well as a pair of dark glasses as she sat behind the wheel of her Land Rover.

“Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family,” the monarch said in a statement on Saturday.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life. I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family,” the statement read. “It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.”

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Reveals Conclusion to Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Royal Exit for ‘Peaceful New Life’

Terry Harris/Bav Media
Terry Harris/Bav Media

The new change will take effect in Spring 2020, according to a separate statement from Buckingham Palace.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are grateful to Her Majesty and the Royal Family for their ongoing support as they embark on the next chapter of their lives. As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments,” the statement said.

“They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties. With The Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty,” the statement continued.

“The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their wish to repay Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home. Buckingham Palace does not comment on the details of security arrangements. There are well established independent processes to determine the need for publicly- funded security,” the statement concluded.

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/POOL/AFP via Getty
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/POOL/AFP via Getty

The announcement came after a 90-minute family summit on Jan. 13, when the Queen released an incredibly personal statement, in which she reluctantly agreed with their proposal, and hoped arrangements would be sorted out within days.

“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan‘s desire to create a new life as a young family. 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 UK,” the Queen’s statement continued. “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.”

While Meghan and Archie are in Canada, Harry has remained in England to continue discussions with the palace about the big move.

In this week’s cover story, a family friend tells PEOPLE that the couple felt they had no choice but to manage things the way they did, even as they went against the family’s “never complain, never explain” mantra.

“This is not how they wanted to handle this, but Meghan and Harry’s hand was forced,” says the friend. “There is so much bad blood in that family — it’s toxic.”