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Sussexes decided it 'wasn't necessary' for Meghan to join Sandringham summit

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex did not take part in discussions at Sandringham over the Sussexes’ split from the Royal Family – after the couple decided it “wasn’t necessary”.

Meghan flew back to Canada on Thursday, to rejoin her eight-month-old son Archie who had stayed in the country following the family’s six-week break there.

Prince Harry remained in the UK, to join the Royal Family’s so-called “Sandringham summit”, which was convened to discuss the couple’s future.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex react during their visit to Canada House in thanks for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada,  in London on January 7, 2020. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex react during their visit to Canada House in thanks for the warm Canadian hospitality. [Photo: Getty]

It had been speculated Prince Harry’s wife might participate via a video conference link. But, on Tuesday, it was confirmed that the 38-year-old did not in fact take part in the discussion.

READ MORE: What drove Harry and Meghan away from the Royal Family?

“In the end, the Sussexes decided that it wasn't necessary for the Duchess to join,” a representative for Buckingham Palace told Yahoo UK.

Those who did attend the meeting with the Queen included Harry, Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge.

The latter two were pictured leaving the meeting at Sandringham on Monday afternoon.

The meeting was followed up by a statement from the Queen, published on the Royal.uk website at 5pm, which detailed the outcome of the “constructive discussions”.

READ MORE: Unanswered questions after Queen's statement on Meghan and Harry's decision to step down

Speaking on behalf of the Royal Family, the monarch said they were “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,” she added.

However, there are still many questions regarding Harry and Meghan’s future which remain unanswered.