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January 14, 2020

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Harry, William slam report on their relationship

Source: AFP | 00:05 UTC+8 January 14, 2020 | Print Edition

PRINCE Harry and his brother Prince William put on a united front as they were summoned to showdown talks yesterday on Harry’s future after he and his wife Meghan unilaterally announced they were quitting as front-line British royalty.

The brothers, who, at Harry’s public admission, have drifted apart in recent years, lashed out at a story concerning their relationship, as newspapers speculated on what caused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to quit their roles in search of a new life.

William, 37, and 35-year-old Harry formed a close bond following their mother Diana’s death in 1997 but Harry admitted last month that they had drifted apart and were now on different paths.

The fraternal show of unity came as they were summoned to talks with their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and father Prince Charles aimed at charting a way through the crisis.

The 93-year-old monarch called the trio to urgent talks at her private Sandringham retreat in eastern England.

A statement on behalf of Harry and William said: “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful.”

Among the stories in yesterday’s press was a report in The Times headlined: “Princes ‘fell out because William wasn’t friendly towards Meghan.’”

It said Harry and Meghan saw themselves as having been “pushed away from the royal family” by William’s “bullying attitude” — adding that sources close to the princes had denied this version of events.

The Sussexes last week said they wanted to step back as senior royals, divide their time between Britain and North America, rip up long-established ways of working with the media and seek a “progressive” and financially-independent new role.

That triggered the queen on Thursday to direct her officials, plus those of Charles, William and Harry, to seek urgent “workable solutions” following the bombshell announcement.

Charles, 71, the heir to the throne, flew back from Oman, where he attended a condolence ceremony on Sunday following the death of the late Sultan Qaboos.

Meghan, 38, is expected to join the meeting via conference call from Canada as they attempt to work out the “next steps” towards a compromise.

Issues up for debate include how much money the couple will still receive from Charles, who largely bankrolls his sons and their families, the couple’s royal titles and how they can raise their own finances without compromising the monarchy.

Harry, Meghan and their son Archie, who was born in May last year, spent six weeks over Christmas in Canada.

After briefly coming back to Britain, several Canadian media reported Meghan had returned to Vancouver Island off the country’s Pacific coast, where Archie had remained with his nanny.

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