Queen summons senior royals to crisis meeting to resolve Harry and Meghan's future

Harry, William and Charles to meet monarch at Sandringham on Monday

The Queen has summoned senior royals including the Duke of Sussex to a crisis meeting in a bid resolve Prince Harry and Meghan’s future roles in the family.

The head of state will be joined at her private Norfolk estate of Sandringham by her successors Prince Charles and Prince William on Monday for a crunch meeting to decide the “next steps” after the Sussexes announced they were stepping back from royal duties.

It will be the first time the four will have met since the issue engulfed the royal family, and it is thought Charles will be travelling from Birkhall in Scotland, William from his Kensington Palace apartment, and Harry from Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle.

Before them will be a range of options, and it is likely the royals will try to come to some agreement before the meeting ends to stop the immediate crisis causing lasting damage to the monarchy.

It comes amid reports Duke and Duchess of Sussex flown their pet dogs to Canada, prompting speculation the couple plan to set up their permanent home in North America.

The two dogs said to have travelled out with Harry and Meghan in November for a six-week break and are not thought to have returned to Britain.

Meghan brought her beagle Guy when she moved to the UK to live with Harry, and the couple are also said to have a black Labrador.

A black Labrador was seen in the grounds of the property at which the couple stayed in Vancouver Island during their holiday, according to the Daily Mail.

The Duchess returned to Canada shortly after the couple’s bombshell decision to step back from royal duties was made public on Wednesday.

Asked about the dogs being flown to the Commonwealth country, a spokeswoman for the couple declined to comment.

The development comes as the Queen pushes courtiers to clarify Prince Harry and Meghan’s future roles as members of the royal family within days.

She has set a deadline of 72 hours for a conclusion to be reached, according to The Telegraph. The Queen reportedly wants a resolution before Prince Harry’s next public appearance.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent six weeks in North America over Christmas with their eight-month-old son Archie.

The couple have said they wish to split their time between the UK and Canada in the future and plan to become financially independent.

After the announcement, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take some time to work through.”

A friend of Prince Harry and Meghan claimed on Friday the couple felt they were being “driven out” of the royal family, prompting a vehement denial from a palace aide.

Meghan, a promoter of adopting rescue dogs, chose animal welfare charity Mayhew as one of her first patronages.

She has previously said her dogs “mean the absolute world” to her and has referred to them as “my loves” and “my boys”.

Additional reporting by agencies