Meghan flees to Canada, leaves Harry to deal with mess alone

Meghan Markle has reportedly upped and left London during one of the biggest royal storms in history, leaving Prince Harry to deal with the mess.

According to the Daily Mail in London, the Duchess of Sussex flew to Canada yesterday where she is said to have left her eight-month-old baby Archie with a nanny and her mother, Doria Ragland.

This seemingly signals Meghan, 38, always intended to flee in the wake of the bombshell news yesterday she and Harry would be stepping down as "senior" royals and dividing their time between the UK and North America as they work to become "financially independent".

The Duchess has upped and left London during one of the biggest royal storms in history. Photo / Getty Images

Meghan and Harry only arrived back in London on Monday after a six-week break in Vancouver over the Christmas-New Year period.

The Duke of Sussex is thought to have remained in London where he is holding crisis talks with the Queen and other members of the British royal family.

He is also set to host the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw next week.

A source told The Sun, "It was only a flying visit for Meghan. She wanted to get back home to Archie," adding Meghan didn't want her baby to get jet lag.

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“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

The Queen is said to have tasked her teams to work rapidly to negotiate Meghan and Harry's exit from the British royal family, which could be a few weeks away from being finalised.

It comes amid multiple reports the Queen had asked Harry not to issue the statement on Wednesday, but he defied her orders and went ahead with it anyway.

No other members of the royal family were consulted before the shock statement was issued.

The pair posted on Instagram on Wednesday night local time that they planned to "step back" from royal duties and split their time between Britain and abroad – with Canada expected to be their second home.

The couple said they would be "financially independent" in their new lives but would still support the Queen and take money from Prince Charles' Duchy of Cornwall Estate.

A Buckingham Palace statement released shortly after the bombshell announcement said discussions were "at an early stage", adding: "We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through."

Frustrated aides have accused the couple of wanting to "have their cake and eat it".

The couple now faces huge questions about how their "progressive" new role will work.

Their new website makes no mention of giving up royal titles or protection and says they will remain living in Frogmore Cottage – which has recently been given a $4.56 million taxpayer-funded renovation.