London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 19, 2026

Harry and Meghan: Boris Johnson 'confident' over future role

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is "absolutely confident" the Royal Family is going to "sort out" a future role for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Harry and Meghan want to "step back" from being full-time working royals.

Mr Johnson told BBC Breakfast: "I think they'll sort it out all the easier without any commentary from me."

It came as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said further talks were needed over who pays for Prince Harry and Meghan's security.

Mr Trudeau said the funding and shape of the couple's plans to relocate to North America are to be discussed.

The Queen has agreed a "period of transition" in which Prince Harry and Meghan will be in Canada and the UK.

She said she was "entirely supportive" of their desire for a new role but "would have preferred" them to remain full-time working royals.

In a statement following talks at Sandringham, the Queen's residence in Norfolk, on Monday involving senior royals, the Queen said she expected final decisions to be made in the coming days.

The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attended the summit. Meghan - who is in Canada - did not participate, according to the Daily Mail and Hello! magazine.

In his first major TV interview following December's general election, Mr Johnson was asked by BBC Breakfast's Dan Walker what he thought of Prince Harry and Meghan's decision to "step back as 'senior members of the Royal Family" and divide their time between the UK and North America.

Mr Johnson said that while "everybody has got an opinion" on the situation, "the Royal Family is one of the great, great assets of this country and I'm sure they will sort it out".

When asked about media intrusion and whether there were any colonial undertones in the coverage of Meghan, the PM said: "I don't think this is helped by running commentary by politicians."


Questions over funding

Among the questions being asked about the Sussexes' future is who will fund their security.

Mr Trudeau said most Canadians were "very supportive" of having royals live there, but there were "still lots of discussions to have" over "how that looks and what kind of costs are involved".

He said the federal Canadian government had not been involved "up until this point" about what the couple's move to the country would involve.

Speaking to Global News, a Canadian TV network, he added: "There are still a lot of decisions to be taken by the Royal Family, by the Sussexes themselves, as to what level of engagement they choose to have.

"We are obviously supportive of their reflections but have responsibilities in that as well."

Earlier the Queen said the talks at Sandringham which also involved the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, had been "very constructive".

"My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family," she said.

"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 said it had been agreed there would be "a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK" after Harry and Meghan "made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives".

The urgent talks were convened after the Sussexes surprised the rest of the Royal Family last week with their statement.

They also said they wanted a "progressive new role" within the institution, where they would be financially independent.

Both Prince Harry and Meghan spoke of the difficulties of royal life and media attention in recent months, with the duke saying he feared his wife would fall victim to "the same powerful forces" that led to his mother's death.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Germany’s Economic Malaise Reopens the Sunday Shopping Debate
Singapore Considers Lower Taxes for Fund Managers as Hong Kong Intensifies Talent Contest
US Retaliates Against Iran After Two American Troops Killed in Jordan
Bank of Asia BVI Enters Court-Supervised Liquidation After Regulators Find It Insolvent
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Netherlands Declares Water Shortage Emergency After Drought Pushes Rivers to Historic Lows
Iran Claims It Destroyed Bahrain’s Main Artificial Intelligence Center in Missile and Drone Strike
Brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate Who Turned "Toxic Masculinity" Into a Brand Arrested in Miami as Britain Seeks Their Extradition
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
Gold and Cash Seizure Puts Indonesia’s Senior Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Under Investigation
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Bank of England Warns Climate Shocks Could Trigger Sudden Asset Repricing
UK Treasury Places Microsoft, Google, AWS and Oracle Under New Financial Resilience Rules
Scottish Government Faces Pressure Over Delays in Vulnerable Group Background Checks
Crown Prosecution Service Authorises Additional Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
NHS Approves At-Home Cancer Treatments for Rare Blood Disorders
Bank of England Gains Oversight of Major Cloud Providers Supporting UK Financial System
UK Government Plans Major Overhaul of English Local Councils Through New Unitary Authorities
British Steel Nationalisation Dispute Escalates as Chinese Owner Jingye Seeks Compensation
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates Will Stay High as It Warns of Financial Risks From Climate and AI
Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
Ukrainian Drone Barrage Kills Eight and Strikes Russian Logistics Network
Key Trends to Watch
Financial Conduct Authority Warns Cloud and Digital Risks Are Becoming a Financial Priority
Jeffrey Donaldson Appeals Sexual Abuse Conviction as Democratic Unionist Party Opens Review
Welsh Health Authorities Launch Emergency Meningitis Vaccination Programme for Students
Scottish Business Activity Falls for Third Month as Companies Face Rising Costs
Bank of England Regulators Demand Better Access to Digital Banking Services
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to Several African Countries by Up to Ninety Per Cent
United Kingdom Introduces Tougher Deportation Rules After Rochdale Exploitation Scandal
NHS England Launches Wearable Technology Plan to Reduce Sepsis Deaths
Amazon Web Services Billing Error Sends Trillion-Dollar Invoices to British Companies
Bank of England Takes Direct Regulatory Role Over Major Global Cloud Providers
Extreme Summer Heat Drives Record Fire Risk and Rising Deaths Across Britain
United Kingdom Nationalisation of British Steel Sparks Diplomatic Dispute With China
United Kingdom Economy Shows Weak Growth Ahead of Major Autumn Budget
Andy Burnham Set to Become United Kingdom Prime Minister After Labour Leadership Victory
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
The Monaco Bombing Has Become a Test of Ukraine’s Intelligence Accountability
Leadership Change and Strategic Rivalry Redraw the Political Map
Energy Risk, Uneven Growth and the New Geography of Global Capital
The AI Race Enters Its Infrastructure Era
Security and resilience remain long-term national priorities
Britain balances growth ambitions with public finance pressures
Regional devolution becomes a defining theme of the next Labour era
×