"It's totally unprecedented." The Queen to hold crisis meeting about Meghan and Harry.

The Queen is set to host crisis talks with Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry on Monday, in an effort to find a solution to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to step down as senior Royals.

On Wednesday afternoon, London time, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their intention to become financially independent and split their time between England and North America.

The Queen’s response to the shock announcement was seen as cold, stating: “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

Indeed, it was widely reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Queen and senior royals feeling “hurt” by their bombshell announcement.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

The ‘unprecedented’ meeting.

Now, the Queen will be be joined at her private Norfolk estate in Sandringham for an ‘unprecedented’ meeting with her family, including Prince Harry.

Reports state that Markle, who is currently in Canada with her eight-month-old son Archie, may join the meeting via telephone. It is likely the royals will try to come to some agreement before the meeting ends to stop the immediate crisis causing lasting damage to the British monarchy.

A royal source said, according to AAP: “The family will gather on Monday at Sandringham to talk things through, attended by Her Majesty, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.

“Following a series of meetings and consultations across the last few days, there are a range of possibilities for the family to review which take into account the thinking the Sussexes outlined earlier in the week.

“As we have said previously, making a change to the working life and role in the monarchy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex requires complex and thoughtful discussions.”

"Next steps will be agreed at the meeting, the request for this to be resolved at pace is still her Majesty's wish – the aim remains days not weeks.

"There is genuine agreement and understanding that any decision will take time to be implemented."

It will be the first time the four will have met since the announcement engulfed the royal family and sparked global coverage.

It is thought Charles will be travelling from Birkhall in Scotland, William from his Kensington Palace apartment and Harry from Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle.

Rebecca English, Royal correspondent for Daily Mail, said, "The meeting is totally unprecedented but shows that the family want to come to a mutually acceptable arrangement.

"It will be the first time Harry has seen all his family face to face since he and his wife made the bombshell announcement on Wednesday that they would be stepping back as senior royals".

For more on this topic:

• How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will make their money now they've 'stepped back'.
• Every single question we have after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's announcement, answered.
• Okay, so the Royal Family seem really mad about Meghan and Harry's announcement.
• OPINION: The Palace is guilty of a stark double standard.
• "It's not true the palace were blindsided": Inside claims Harry and Meghan were 'driven out'.

Feature Image: Getty.

Sign up for the "Mamamia Daily" newsletter. Your morning hit of the top news stories, to be consumed with a coffee in hand.