London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jan 22, 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
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
AI vs Work: The Battle Over Who Controls the Future of Labor
Buying an Ally’s Territory: Strategic Genius or Geopolitical Breakdown?
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Arctic Power Grab: Security Chessboard or Climate Crime Scene?
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
×