It’s back to business for William and Kate
PRINCE Harry reluctantly signed the deal allowing him and Meghan to walk away – after the Queen ordered that their exit should not overshadow other Royal Family events.
The arrangements were far from Harry’s liking but he had no option other than to sign on the line, a senior palace source revealed last night.
The insider said: “It was made abundantly clear to Harry – agree to this and then you can go.
“By his own admission, it was not under the terms he wanted but he had no other option.
“There was no halfway house, no half-in, half-out arrangement, and this was the only one on the table.”
Meanwhile, other members of the Royal Family were keen to show it was business as usual yesterday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent the evening hosting a plush reception for African leaders following the UK-Africa summit.
It was the first timeWilliam, 37, had done the honours on behalf of the Queen at such an event, and it signified another major shift in him taking on more responsibilities.
His father, Prince Charles, is preparing for a major visit to Israel later this week, where he will take on official engagements and travel to Palestine for the first time.
He has been invited to speak at the World Holocaust Forum with a select band of world leaders – a considerable honour ahead of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.
Another senior royal, says the source, also has a major event this week to showcase a long-standing project – which the family have decreed must not be eclipsed by Harry and Meghan’s departure.
Yesterday the Prince, 35, was attending the UK-Africa Investment summit in London. He decided to stay away from the evening event, after one of the most testing times for the monarchy in modern history.
But during the day he held audiences with Saadeddine Othmani, Morocco’s Prime Minister; Peter Mutharika, Malawi’s President; Filipe Nyusi, Mozambique’s President; as well as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
These are expected to be Harry’s last official engagements before he jets off to Canada to be reunited with Meghan, 38, and their eightmonth-old son Archie.
It will be the first time the family have been together since Meghan fled Britain on January 11 – leaving Harry to face the backlash.
The couple put out their original statement on January 8, saying they wanted to step down as senior Royals – in defiance of the Queen’s advice that she needed more time.
The monarch, 93, and Charles and William ordered aides to work around the clock after Harry and Meghan posted their intentions on Instagram.
But the Sussexes’ plans were shot down and ripped apart after the three most senior royals told them there was no way they could agree to their cherry-picked plans.
Former serviceman Harry, who served two tours of Afghanistan, has been forced to step down from his military roles. Sources close to the
Duke say he has been left “devastated” by the development.
But he feared if he didn’t agree, he would have lost even more ground in his plans to quit the family.
The palace insider said: “He and Meghan were so desperate to get out they had no choice and, on the face of it, it looks like they have given up a considerable amount.”
The arrangements signed off by the Queen allow Harry and Meghan to set up home in Canada – but wrangling remains over which big money
deals they will be allowed to sign and who will fork out for their security.
The Sussexes have agreed to pay back £2.4million of public funds used to renovate their Windsor home Frogmore Cottage.
It will remain their base in the UK, with the couple expected to pay the market-value rent for the privilege.
Prince Charles has agreed to fund the couple for a year as they embark on finding private ventures to ensure their “financial independence”.
Harry admitted on Sunday night
that the plan he and Meghan had put forward “wasn’t possible”. At a dinner for his charity Sentebale, he spoke of his “great sadness”.
He added: “As far as this goes, there really was no other option.”
But friends of the Prince have voiced fears that he will “become even more lost” as he sets up home thousands of miles away, in a country he has no ties to.
The deal struck with the Queen, Charles and William will be reviewed in 12 months to see how it is working.