London: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle faced fresh criticism Tuesday in the wake an emergency royal meeting to discuss their shock announcement to step back from frontline royal duties.
British newspapers raked over Tuesday’s meeting at which Queen Elizabeth II agreed to allow the young couple to split their time between Canada and the UK until a solution was found.
“It means only one thing — Harry and Meghan have won!” royal commentator Philip Dampier wrote in the ‘Daily Express’. “They metaphorically held a gun to her head and she has given in.”
The Sun tabloid’s editorial said: “Our Queen’s surrender to the petulant, selfish demands of Harry and Meghan may prove the biggest mistake of her reign. This couple has simply raised the bar for self-obsessed, arrogant entitlement.”
The Daily Mirror said the monarch ‘displayed a selflessness sadly lacking from the way Harry and Meghan have disrespectfully treated her’ while the The Daily Telegraph called the decision “The Queen’s reluctant farewell.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan are formally known, unilaterally announced last week they were stepping back as senior royals and wanted financial independence from the monarchy.
The pair, who have a baby son, Archie, have hinted in recent months at their unhappiness about life in the public eye and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he understood their concerns.
“I am a massive fan… of the queen and the royal family as a fantastic asset for our country,” Johnson told ‘BBC’ television. “I’m absolutely confident that they are going to sort this out.”
Queen Elizabeth II, 93, summoned her eldest son and heir Prince Charles, and his two sons Princes William and Harry to her Sandringham estate in eastern England for crisis talks Monday.
In a rare personal statement afterwards, the monarch said the discussions were ‘very constructive’ but admitted the Sussexes’ decision was not what she would have wanted.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life,” the queen said.
“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.” She added.
