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Analysis

Harry and Meghan: 'This is seismic from the Queen - she's brought down the iron fist'

Alastair Bruce says the statement is full of warmth, but represents the Queen drawing a final line under the crisis.

The Queen will meet senior members of the family over Harry and Meghan's decision to step back
Image: Alastair Bruce says the Queen has dealt with the crisis with an 'iron fist'
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The Queen has "brought down the iron fist" to end a crisis that started with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's surprise announcement that they wanted to step back as senior royals, says Sky News' royal commentator Alastair Bruce.

A palace statement issued on Saturday evening said the couple would lose public funds from spring, drop their HRH titles and pay back £2.4m of public funds used to renovate their UK home, Frogmore Cottage.

It follows a week of discussion among senior royals on how to solve the crisis.

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Bruce said that although the statement was full of warmth, it represented the Queen drawing a final line and making it clear that no one can be a royal and a private individual at the same time.

He said: "This was turning into an enormous distraction and this is a seismic announcement from the Queen.

"It's still very warm on the pastoral side of affection from a grandmother to her grandson and her great-grandson and granddaughter-in-law, but at the same time she has brought down the iron fist of monarchical leadership on a problem that needed to be solved.

"She has made it very clear that the royal status, the princely status, should be dissolved.

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"We now know that it will be Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - there'll be no more Royal Highness, no more representing the Queen or being part of the ceremonial part of the Royal Family; no more military involvement, no more public money.

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"This is an abdication, in a sense, from the Royal Family.

"He and his wife are now free, to a certain extent, to go and follow the dreams that they have to pursue very good works. But no longer part of the royal business.

"This is an ex-prince who is laying down all those royal trappings and those for his wife and son."