Meghan Markle absent from 'Sandringham Summit' due to trust concerns

Meghan Markle was notably absent from a crucial royal meeting due to concerns that others might be listening in, according to an expert. 

In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan made the surprising announcement that they were stepping down as senior royals, less than two years after their wedding.

This led to an unprecedented emergency meeting, known as the 'Sandringham Summit,' involving the late Queen, then-Prince Charles, Prince William, and Harry. Surprisingly, Meghan did not participate.

Harry returned to Britain alone from Canada, while Meghan stayed approximately 5,000 miles away on Vancouver Island. It was initially reported that the Sussexes felt it "wasn't necessary" for Meghan to join the meeting by phone. However, according to Richard Kay of the Daily Mail, there was a specific reason for not including Meghan on the call.

He said: "According to palace officials, such an idea was rejected because no one knew for sure who else might have been listening in. 'This was a highly confidential family discussion, not a conference call,' says one insider."

The meeting took place on January 13, three days after Harry and Meghan's announcement. Only four people were present at the meeting, notably excluding Prince Philip, who chose not to attend. He had quietly departed the house before Harry's arrival, leaving in his Land Rover Freelander with Countess Mountbatten, who had assisted in his care before his passing.

According to Kay at the time: "Just how strategic this departure was, was not immediately clear. But the fact he left more than an hour and a half before the Duke of Sussex arrived was seen as significant. 

"At 98, he no longer lays down the law as he once did and some courtiers wonder if this was his way of saying 'this is not my fight'. It may also be that by making himself absent he could not be drawn into a situation where the mantra which governed his attitude to royal life – 'you are either in the family or out' – was being tested by Harry and Meghan's wish to be part-time royals."

Following the summit, the Queen released a highly-personal message. "Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family. My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family. 

"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.

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

She concluded: "These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days."