Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Asked for Independence and the Queen Said No

• According to a new report, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lobbied to have their own court, but Queen Elizabeth vetoed the idea.
• The report comes from the Sunday Times (opens in new tab), which reported that a source close to the royals explained that Harry and Meghan wanted full independence and the chance to create a global philanthropy brand. 
• Instead, Harry and Meghan's office will be based out of Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) have big plans—but the Queen reportedly isn't on board. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex fought to have their own independent office, according to a report from the Sunday Times (opens in new tab), but Queen Elizabeth and Harry's dad, Prince Charles, vetoed the idea. And their word is pretty much final, since Elizabeth and Charles will be jointly funding the office. A royal source told the Sunday Times: 

"They wanted their household to be entirely independent of Buckingham Palace, but were told 'no.' There is an institutional structure that doesn't allow that kind of independence. The feeling is that it's good to have the Sussexes under the jurisdiction of Buckingham Palace, so they can't just go off and do their own thing."

According to the Sunday Times' report, their "own thing" would be a global "Sussex brand" of philanthropy and humanitarianism that would allow Meghan to keep working as an activist, if Harry and Meghan (opens in new tab) had their way.

The reports of a shut down from the Queen come just days after the royal family confirmed (opens in new tab) that Harry and Meghan would be splitting their household from Will and Kate's and establishing their own office at Buckingham Palace.

"The Queen has agreed to the creation of a new Household for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, following their marriage in May last year," the official release (opens in new tab) said. "The Household, which will be created with the support of The Queen and The Prince of Wales, will be established in the spring."

The change was described as being a "long-planned move" to support Harry and Meghan's (opens in new tab) royal work when they relocate to Frogmore Cottage (opens in new tab) to raise their family.

"The Queen has given permission for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to base their Household Office at Buckingham Palace (opens in new tab)," the release continued. "Their Royal Highnesses will appoint new communications staff, who will form part of the Buckingham Palace communications team and report to The Queen’s Communications Secretary, Donal McCabe. Kensington Palace will continue to support Their Royal Highnesses until that team is in place."

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