When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their roles as senior working members of the royal family in January 2020, Her Majesty responded to their requests by saying, in part: “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.”
The statement was a rare first-person statement by the Queen, and the words she wrote – that they were “a valued part of my family” – wasn’t just lip service.
