It was just 153 words but what does the statement from the Palace really tell us?

Monday's statement demonstrated the Queen again trying to walk the tightrope of maintaining family unity while trying to avoid public outrage  - PA
Monday's statement demonstrated the Queen again trying to walk the tightrope of maintaining family unity while trying to avoid public outrage - PA

There has rarely been a statement like it from the Queen. At 5pm, Buckingham Palace issued a 153-word personal message, headlined ‘Statement from Her Majesty the Queen’ that simultaneously tried to resolve a royal crisis and hold a family together. Such heartfelt pronouncements are unusual to say the least. In 67 years on the throne, the Queen has largely maintained a stoicism that comes with her sense of duty. In the face of public criticism of her silence in the week after Princess Diana’s death, she went on television to explain to the nation: “We have all been trying in our different ways to cope.”

Monday's statement demonstrated the Queen again trying to walk the tightrope of maintaining family unity while trying to avoid public outrage - either from that large slice of the country that is furious with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for wanting to quit the Royal family while the rest see no harm in letting the couple go it alone to lead their lives as they wish. So what does the statement tell us?

On Family

In 153-words, the Queen uses the word ‘family’ nine times. “Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” the monarch declared in her opening line. Penny Junor, the Royal biographer and author of ‘Prince Harry: Brother. Soldier. Son. Husband’, said the emphasis on family was critical. “This is very personal,” said Ms Junor, “There is a crisis in the monarchy but there is also a crisis for the family. Harry is in a very fragile state - and probably Meghan too  - and any grandmother, father and brother would want to look after him. This statement feels very warm.”

The Queen and her grandson pictured together in May 2018 - Credit: AFP
The Queen and her grandson pictured together in May 2018 Credit: AFP

On their titles

The statement never refers to the couple by their formal title of HRH Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It calls them the ‘Sussexes’ once and refers to them as ‘Harry and Meghan’ twice as in “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family”. One well-connected Royal watcher suggested that this was a prelude to the couple being stripped of their HRH titles. “It’s intriguing she calls them Harry and Meghan,” said the source, “This looks like she is preparing to deprive them of HRH if they insist on making money on the back of their Royal status” Christopher Wilson, a Royal historian, said: “As long as Harry continues to do his duty there is no reason to lose the title. But if their game plan is to hang around Los Angeles [on the celebrity circuit], then it would not be appropriate for him to use HRH.”

On security

This is a big problem for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that is only alluded to in the Queen’s statement. The current security bill, paid for by the British taxpayer, is estimated at something like £650,000 but round the clock armed protection both here and in Canada would see that sizeable bill mushroom to well over a million pounds. “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives” wrote The Queen. It is not clear if this would include foregoing security and paying for it themselves. Most people reading the statement would imagine not relying on public funds would include their security. Such a bill could derail their attempts to become financially independent.

Prince Charles leaves Sandringham Estate after crunch talks with his two sons and the Queen - Credit: Anthony Jones
Prince Charles leaves Sandringham Estate after crunch talks with his two sons and the Queen Credit: Anthony Jones

On their home

The statement does little to answer one of the thornier issues of whether they will be allowed to live in Frogmore Cottage in Windsor on a peppercorn rent - the taxpayer having funded its refurbishment at the cost of £2.4 million and rising. All the statement says is “there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK”. Although assumed, it is also the first public acknowledgment the couple will live in Canada. The Duke and Duchess, in their own blockbuster statement that caused the current crisis, said only that they wished to spend more time in north America but make Frogmore Cottage their UK base. Royal sources have suggested that the Queen could charge the Duke and Duchess a full commercial rent on Frogmore Cottage - or even boot them out. This is likely to be one of the “complex matters” referred to in the statement that is still to be resolved. Similarly there may well be issues over who pays for their new home in Canada.

On transitioning

The Queen is clear this is just the beginning of the negotiations. “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,” says the statement. But it may well be wishful thinking. Christopher Wilson is sceptical of progress in the talks. “As a statement, it really doesn’t solve the problem,” he said. The Queen may want this completed in just days but the reality is nobody - not least the Royals - will know how this plays out. Much like Brexit, stuck in its own transition, so too is the so-called Megxit. Royal observers suggest it could take years to unravel with lucrative commercial deals offered in the US clashing with their public roles.