MEG DEADLINE
Megxit set to meet 72-hour deadline as crisis talks to decide Harry and Meghan’s future will be wrapped up ‘in days’
THE Queen's 72 hour deadline for aides to agree on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's future roles in the Royal Family is on course to be met.
An insider revealed this evening the crisis talks are continuing and should still wrap up within "days".
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Buckingham Palace was thrown into chaos this week with the revelation that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to quit as senior royals and move to Canada.
After announcing their controversial decision on Wednesday, Meghan, 38, flew to North America on Thursday night leaving her husband to deal with the fallout.
Now it has been reported that the Queen, 93, has instructed her courtiers to solve the dispute by Tuesday – ahead of Harry’s first public appearance next week.
However, the Prince, 35, is in no hurry to sign off on any agreement as he is determined to get the best financial deal for himself and his LA-born wife, it has been reported.
A royal source told the : "This is their future and their lives. It's not just going to be quickly signed off," adding Harry wants “a satisfactory deal" for his family.
In their statement, the couple said they want a "progressive new role" within the monarchy insisting they want to become "financially independent."
This is their future and their lives. It's not just going to be quickly signed off
A royal source
Yet they are likely to retain Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, which saw a £2.4million taxpayer-funded refurbishment carried out last year.
And the pair will still be awarded security at the hands of the taxpayer despite the lure of lucrative commercial deals and already boasting a £33m fortune
Meanwhile, it has been reported the Queen wants the crisis to last no longer than six days – which is the same timeframe it took to sack Prince Andrew following his disastrous Newsnight interview.
According to the Telegraph, the beloved monarch has told Palace aides to “turn a crisis into an opportunity” by carving out of a deal which will serve as a blueprint for future royal “spares” such as Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
DEAL OR NO DEAL
However, it has also been reported that Harry could leave the UK, with no return date set, soon after honouring an official engagement at Buckingham Palace next Thursday.
The Duke has still not held meetings with his grandmother, his father or his brother over the crisis.
The royals are currently scattered around the country with Prince Charles in Scotland - he was pictured today for the first time since the scandal broke near Birkhall in Aberdeenshire - and William in London while Harry is in Windsor.
Meghan is believed to have flown to Vancouver Island to be with seven-month-old son Archie and has no plans to return to the UK.
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Harry and Meghan have told friends they feel “hounded out of the UK” following their bombshell decision to step down from a senior role — revealed by The Sun.
But the pair are "hopeful" crunch talks to determine their future roles in the monarchy can be concluded "sooner rather than later", according to a source.
It is believed Harry and Meghan will be able to keep their Sussex titles as they were a wedding gift from the Queen - but critics claim the couple will try to cash in on the name.
Even if they choose to give up their HRH status, or the Queen removes it, they will remain Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.
BOMBSHELL SPLIT
A day-long series of meetings and phones calls were held by officials trying to work up proposals after the pair abandoned their royal duties.
On Friday, a stern-looking Queen, 93, was pictured driving her Range Rover to a shoot with her grandson Peter Phillips, 42.
She has instructed staff to thrash out a “workable solution”.
This comes after claims Meghan and Harry felt excluded from the recent "line of succession" photo which saw The Queen beaming alongside her heirs Prince George, Prince William and Prince Charles.
And Her Majesty didn't have any photos of the couple or baby Archie on display during her Christmas message.
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Pals have claimed Harry and Meghan felt "unwelcome" in the family and were sidelined as the monarchy moved towards a future focused on Prince William and Prince Charles.
This is despite the perks the pair have enjoyed since becoming royalty - including a £32million wedding at Windsor Castle watched by millions of people across the globe.
They had been due to take up residence in a large apartment at Kensington Palace but they instead moved into Frogmore Cottage after it saw a £2.4million renovation paid for by the taxpayer.
Living at the Palace would have meant they were close to the Prince William and Kate Middleton, who had attempted to make Meghan feel welcome by rolling out the red carpet in Christmas 2017.
But the "Fab Four" fell apart at the end of 2018 when Harry and Meghan quit the joint charitable foundation they were all part of amid rumours the two brothers were at war.
Harry's pal, journalist Tom Bradbury, told ITV News that the couple have fallen out with the Royal Family.
Bradby said: "It is just really bad personal splits, a lot of fall-outs, a lot of harsh things were said around the time of the wedding and it's just gone too far. Certainly the rest of the family find Harry and Meghan very difficult.
"And Harry and Meghan's point of view is that they're being driven out. And it's sad."
He also warned it "looks like it might get worse, not better" for the moment unless the family can broker a "peace deal".
The Sun says
HOW do Harry and Meghan imagine Britain will react if they now travel the world amassing a billion-dollar Kardashian-sized fortune from the SussexRoyal brand they have cooked up?
Their plan for global domination as Instagram’s “progressive” royal power couple looks fatally flawed.
First it relies on them still being bankrolled by an increasingly enraged public — as they magnanimously “work to become financially independent” despite already being worth sums most of us cannot imagine.
Second, because when they finally deem their wealth vast enough to cut that umbilical cord, their livelihood will still centre around their image as senior royals . . . a role they have quit.
The idea of them busily enriching themselves by flogging their part-time royalty to advertisers will disgust taxpayers — both on principle and because this entitled pair will never refund a penny back into Treasury coffers.
The UK public will justifiably demand they be cut off at the ankles, stripped of the titles on which they trade.
What then for plain Meghan and Harry Wales, the narcissist formerly known as Prince?
Who will listen then to their vapid sermons? They might fancy themselves as the new Clintons or Obamas — but they have not earned their platform or status.
They were born into it, or married into it, but gave it up when it all looked too dull, too hard and not enough fun.
Diehard fans will stick by them. They will doubtless make big money. But the firestorm of criticism they have ignited here will become an inferno.
It is a disastrous mess and may get worse. The couple’s assumption about the public continuing to fund round-the-clock security in Canada looks premature — and must be reviewed.
Harry is worth £30million, Meghan another £5million. How much richer must they be before they pay that bill?
MORE ROYAL NEWS
Meanwhile, there were reports last night that Harry and Meghan had agreed to do a sit-down interview with American TV host Gayle King.
Miss King, who is the chief anchor for CBS, was invited to Meghan’s baby shower in New York last February and has become a close pal.
It was also revealed Meghan has signed a voiceover deal with Disney in a hint at a future career which experts believe could net the pair tens of millions annually.
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