--- title: Queen Releases Statement on Harry and Meghan Stepping Back description: Queen Elizabeth II has officially responded to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announcing that they are stepping back as "senior" royals. canonical: https://time.com/5763086/queen-statement-prince-harry-meghan-markle/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-01-13T18:00:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:01:13.303Z og:title: Queen Responds to Harry and Meghan's Decision to Scale Back Royal Role og:description: Her Royal Majesty has given the Sussexes her blessing og:url: https://time.com/5763086/queen-statement-prince-harry-meghan-markle/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77f2f32989e7cffa/698a08b322fb85e1b7e2a6ff/MeghanMarklePrinceHarryPlan.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Queen Responds to Harry and Meghan's Decision to Scale Back Royal Role twitter:description: Her Royal Majesty has given the Sussexes her blessing twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77f2f32989e7cffa/698a08b322fb85e1b7e2a6ff/MeghanMarklePrinceHarryPlan.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Entirely Supportive.' The Queen Breaks Silence About Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Decision to Scale Back Royal Role > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ecb25792-c536-40ee-a636-cc9420fe2dd4&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 13, 2020 6:00 PM UTC  Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex depart Canada House on Tuesday in London, England. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex depart Canada House on Tuesday in London, England. Getty Images/Photo by Chris Jackson  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 13, 2020 6:00 PM UTC Queen Elizabeth II has officially responded to [Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex](https://time.com/5757551/prince-harry-meghan-markle-new-years-message/) and [Meghan, Duchess of Sussex](https://time.com/5762826/meghan-markle-in-canada/) announcing that they are [stepping back as “senior members”](https://time.com/5761547/prince-harry-meghan-markle-step-back-senior-royals/) of Britain’s royal family. On Monday, the Queen released a statement in which she gave Harry and Meghan her blessing to scale back their royal role. In the wake of the Queen convening a meeting of all four royal households (those of her own; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry) to come up with a [“workable”](https://twitter.com/RE%5FDailyMail/status/1215332501494870016) future role for Harry and Meghan, Her Royal Majesty announced on Jan. 13 that there will be “a period of transition” in which the Sussexes split time between Canada and the U.K. > [](https://twitter.com/chrisshipitv/status/1216766839654682625) In her statement, the Queen also said that the royal family is “entirely supportive” of Harry and Meghan’s choice and that she has asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days. “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 family while remaining a valued part of my family,” she said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5763086/queen-statement-prince-harry-meghan-markle/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5763086/queen-statement-prince-harry-meghan-markle/"},"headline":"'Entirely Supportive.' 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