meghan doesn't want anything to do with you. it doesn't democracy amake any >> i was told that was what her wishes were. >> reporter: what about those tapes that sounded so damning? leon said the tapes didn't prove anything. why go down this road? why hire who you think is a hit man? >> i never thought he was a hit man. you have to understand something. i never thought these people were violent criminals at all. >> that's not how it appears on the tapes. >> if you really listen to what's said, i never asked him to hurt anybody. i never asked him to kill anybody. >> reporter: but remember, he did offer a suggestion on how to kill her. >> give her an injection of potassium chloride to stop her heart. untraceable. >> why are you telling him how to do this? >> i will talk about that on the witness stand. >> so there's nothing you want to share now? >> no. >> reporter: we also asked how valerie's husband became a target. >> i had nothing to do with what was going on with mack. >> reporter: if leon told us he was being kind to meghan,

meghan struggled a lot. to become a successful actress, to be able to make a living, that's like winning a lottery ticket. i mean the number of forces that have to combine to get you even the smallest scrap of success are so astronomical. >> meghan auditions for ten years. and then, at 29, she lands a significant role. a female lead on usa network's legal drama "suits." >> is this all a joke to you? because i take my job seriously. >> she got lucky. she undoubtedly handed in a great audition. a great screen test. she had eellent chemistry with her co-stars. and she hit the jackpot. >> "suits" is an instant hit. "suits" radically changed meghan's life. first and foremost, she was now making more money than she had ever made before. ever. >> as the show achieved success, meghan makes big changes in her life. including ending her two-year marriage to hollywood producer trevor engelson. >> when they met, she was still largely an aspiring actress, he was an aspiring producer, they were essentially at the same pla

the queen complimenting meghan. talking about the scrutiny which i have to say really jumped out to me because the royals don't normally talk about press scrutiny and intrusion. they just ignore it. here is a moment the queen is saying they have been under j e scrutiny. we saw this personal statement last week. i think going forward the monarchy will have to realize that sometimes ignoring it, it's too much. there was a survey done today in the united kingdom about newspaper coverage and it found out that huge amounts of the coverage, 72% of the coverage of meghan was usually negative and this is a really high amount -- it's incredible. i do actually think that the palace perhaps hoped it would go away. they thought it if they ignored it, it would go away. it would be helpful to back up prince harry's statements about the press intrusion. this statement jumped out. it really is the queen saying this is part of my family. stop the speculation. stop saying all these things. there's been some cruel things said. we love

this is bbc news — the headlines: prince harry and meghan are to give up prince harry and meghan are to give up their hrh titles as they stepped down as working royals, according to the queen. the couple will pay back or have a wish to pay back £2.1i million of public money spent on frogmore cottage in windsor, and will keep it as their home when they are in the uk. they will no longer get public funding from the sovereign grant for royal duties and harry will resign from his official military appointments. welcome to bbc news. the queen has announced that prince harry and meghan will no longer use their royal titles and will no longer receive public funds from the sovereign grant for carrying out royal duties. they will no longer represent the queen as working members of the royal family, including official military appointments for prince harry. the new model is expected to come into effect this spring. this comes after the couple said earlier this month they wanted to step back a senior royals. in a statement, the queen said, following many months of conversations in more recent

she talks about harry, megan and archie being much loved and talks about meghan, proud of the way meghan is fit into the royal family and going forward, she hopes that these changes are being made to their lives will ensure that they have a happy and peaceful life going forward and the queen being quite pragmatic in terms of finding a solution but you can also since her regret and wanting to fix things for harry and meghan. give us an idea on how you came about this news. people are always fascinated, especially when the royal family about how these things, there is a formality and the information flow which is so tightly controlled. what happened just a couple of hours ago? a couple of hours ago when there was this meeting, we were told that the queen was very keen for this business to be resolved as quickly as possible and not have it hanging over the royal family. it is and not have it hanging over the royalfamily. it is pretty and not have it hanging over the royal family. it is pretty clear that the next five or six days, there was lots of discussion over staff your buckingham palac

, when instead of saying, "harry" or "prince harry and meghan", it starts, "meghan and harry". what do you think of the way she has been portrayed? i think it is horrible for the poor woman and the trouble with twitter at the moment is it is savage out there and you get people like piers morgan who wrote a horrible page about her, and among other things, she was caused a crazed leech, and eamon holmes, who isa crazed leech, and eamon holmes, who is a nice guy, weighed in with equally horrible things to say. why don't we lay off the being horrible to each other and just stick to the facts for a bit? you can see why this is also compelling is because it is making us ask something about what we expect from the press and how people should be treated. personally, if i never hear the word "woke" again, used as a way of insulting people who have views slightly different from one's own. you are referring to a radio broadcast this week. you are referring to a radio broadcast this weeklj you are referring to a radio broadcast this week. i am fed up of hearing the word woke for somebody w

back in october in an itv documentary harry and meghan, an african journey, meghan admitted that royal life has been overwhelming. >> not many people have asked if i'm okay. but it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes. >> would it be fair to say not really okay, it's really been a struggle? >> yes. >> reporter: the sussexes' surprise announcement to walk away reportedly upset his brother william and his father, prince charles, who walked meghan down the aisle. >> there's no doubt from the people i've spoken to close to charles that he feels extremely disappointed and let down by what's happened but accepts that harry and meghan want their life in a different way. but he still feels let down. >> reporter: today prince charles's wife camilla was asked by itv if she will miss her stepson and his wife. >> of course. >> reporter: the perceived rift between harry and william is especially disheartening for fans of the royal brothers. the young dukes were inseparable as children and leaned on one another after the death of their mother, diana. in itv's documentary harry a

to meghan because he said trust me? i'm not sure it is all down to meghan because i think harry has expressed a lot of unhappiness about his position in the royalfamily, unhappiness about his position in the royal family, he unhappiness about his position in the royalfamily, he has hit out against the media before so i'm not sure it is all about meghan and i think meghan is the catalyst for what has happened but i don't think it is just because part of the media have attacked meghan or she has had a lot of racism to put up with on social media which has been complete the unacceptable, i don't think that is the only reason that this has happened. his question. has meghan empowered him to strike his way forward ? empowered him to strike his way forward? like you said, he hasn't a lwa ys forward? like you said, he hasn't always been happy, maybe having someone always been happy, maybe having someone that powerful and supportive next to him... i think she has been the catalyst on the question is, is it going to work? when t

reaching out to meghan, saying we are a family. we're going to move forward. and words new life, they're quite profound in terms of palace speak. i am sure victoria will tell you as well. this is a grandmother speaking about her grandchildren, no longer referring to them as duke and duchess of sussex, they're no longer working royals. it feels to me quite liberating to the queen to be able to talk to them in that way. obviously one of the great conflicts of any monarch, they're the boss of a firm but also head of the family, now she's just a grandmother to prince harry and meghan is his wife, and she can rebuild that relationship without any of the ta tangling of working royals and restrictions they obviously felt uncomfortable with, which is why you ended up with the family crisis. i think it is a hopeful, positive message going forward. obviously the monarchy has to redefine itself. don't have these two global superstars in their mix to bolster the royal brand. part of this is that the pressure on prince william and duchess of ca

meghan wa5 monarchy, rather than harry and meghan. meghan was subject to the most appalling race5 meghan. meghan was subject to the most appalling races and from the 5ame tabloid pre55 who are now blaming herfor 5ame tabloid pre55 who are now blaming her for saying enough is enough, andl blaming her for saying enough is enough, and i have options which i am about to exercise. and i don't blame her, ithought am about to exercise. and i don't blame her, i thought her treatment at the hands of the british pre55 wa5 at the hands of the british pre55 was truly appalling. how different, jeffrey, you are part of the us media although you are canadian by birth, and you have worked in this country for a long time. how different were the reaction be? i wonder if the things that meghan is used to in the usa, and which harry will become used to in terms of an appreciation for the need for them, if they are successful, to earn money. how will that go down back here? with a brand, sussex royal, start to clash with the brand of the house of windsor?

even now, you said meghan is a strong woman, as if harry is a feeble man who has let meghan come in and for all his life and she is the one who has made this decision, he isjust kind of there. i think it's unfair it's all being pushed upon her. it was obviously a joint decision. i think why i think harry especially, as obviously i don't know him personally... none of us don't know him personally... none of us do! well, angela does.” don't know him personally... none of us do! well, angela does. i think the first time he had seen what the press ca n the first time he had seen what the press can do and he is a very conscious of it. i think before his son gets to a certain age where he can be affected by the paparazzi and affected by the media, i think they wa nt to affected by the media, i think they want to slowly draw themselves away from it. i don't think there's anything wrong with it. maybe, 0k, they should have consulted somebody first about it, but i think it's a bit weird because the statement said they had had internal discussions, who they wed? do you know what i mean? it's a

when meghan did the same thing, it's why can't meghan markel keep her hands off her bump, is it pride vanity acting? when kate was pregnant, the express said she was eating avocados for her morning sickness cure. and meghan's beloved avocados were linked to human rights abuse and drought. prince andrew having sleepovers at jeffrey epstein's house and the express is "meghan markel ordered guacamole!" so it's completely understandable harry and meghan would want to step away from all the hate in the u.k. but now everyone is wondering what they'll do to support themselves without any of the royal cash. good news, meghan's already got herself a job. >> meghan, the duchess of sussex is working on a deal to record a voiceover for disney. they met at the london premiere of line king whether in july where harry appeared to discuss possible future projects. >> trevor: okay, wait. prince harry really did that? at a movie premiere last year he asked the c.e.o. of disney to hook his wife up with voiceovers. don't get me wrong, on the one hand, husband goals. on the other hand, you admit the monar

harry and meghan say they will be but that is up meghan say they will be but that is up to the queen, she owns it. the public just renovated it up to the queen, she owns it. the publicjust renovated it to the tune of £3 million. what about their security? who will pay for that? will it bejustin trudeau and canada who have to foot that bill orwell harry and meghan —— harry and meghan expect the queen to van that? so many questions, and again i reported in the sun this morning, they want to start taking on commercial deals. again, there is a reason why members of the royal family don't take on commercial deals, because as you've seen with prince andrew how difficult that can get. so lots of questions. right now, there are no a nswe i’s questions. right now, there are no a nswers for questions. right now, there are no answers for any of them. so much of this is absolutely uncharted when it comes to the royal family. harry maybe six in line to the throne but he and his wife had star power, which is sarah campbell mentioned, the royal family certainly had hoped to continue to harnes

harry and meghan at work. here viewing a sculpture created to mark the hundredth anniversary of the death of the war poet wilfred owen. this is the bread—and—butter of royal duty that they will no longer do. the couple met the artist who created the sculpture. for him, the visit of a royal prince, who is also an army veteran, really mattered. it brought a huge amount to the town. to the credibility of the project as well. it was big enough on its own, but that little extra bit that the royal brought was incredible. it was phenomenal. it was a very worthy thing, and it will be sadly missed. royal duty had, on the surface, appeared to suit harry and meghan. they had a natural ease with the public. and, crucially, a more relaxed, informal approach helped them engage with younger, more diverse communities. and i'm in the same room as the royal couple right now. much of this kind of work now stops. but they will hang on to some of their projects, those where they are not formally representing the queen. that is

this will never happen with meghan. she is a woman with a great sense of mission, and that, she is married to a young man like harry, who also has a mission. they both care for social causes, which i applaud them for. it isjust a question of where they will introduce them and continue to forward them. the royalty will survive, they monarchy will not be threatened centrally by this. prince charles, as you mentioned in your introduction, had already decided to scale down the monarchy, so that was an almost invitation for this couple to say, ok, if that is the case, we will set up our own way. they shouldn't have called it progressive, that's why i fault them. and also to continue stressing he is dutiful to the queen. if he is so dutiful to the queen, why did he not inform her in the first place? that is a violation of his professed duty that he feels for his grandmother. altogether, i think it will blow over, they will continue to work, the media will treat them like celebrities, like they have always been, so in a sense,

and harry duke of sussex and meghan, duchess of sussex, and effectively harry and meghan, left as working monarchy and no longer part of the working monarchy and no longer representing the queen at engagements which is what senior royals do. they are giving up, harry is giving up his military positions, which is a big climb-down for him. they are hugely important to him. also, they are serving as youth ambassadors for the commonwealth, stepping back, and they are giving up the roles because they are roles that effectively represent the queen. this is a big moment. the couple was hoping to retain i think those roles, and some of the roles that they currently carry out, and then they wanted the freedom to step out into the private world, and sign commercial deals, and earn an independent income. clearly over the last week, negotiations have gotten to the point where there has to be a, it must have been the queen, saying you are either in or you're out and they have chosen out. saying they are no longer working members of the royal family, and they are going to repay the public funds used to

you mentioned meghan with acting. well, a lot of americans are obsessed with the netflix series, the crown, and are wondering whether meghan could play herself in an upcoming episode. we also know that meghan used to have a lifestyle blog, the tig. she might want to get back into writing in order to further monetise that. some are speculating that both could create a production company or create a production deal like the 0bamas recently did with netflix. of course, prince harry has his own private inheritance from his mother, and meghan reportedly made $160,000 each year working as an actress before she got married. both are in the position that they do not have to rush and find a job, and have the opportunity to pick and choose what they want to do for work. and, of course, take the time they need to establish their new charity which they talked about in their instagram post. i was watching earlier, you suggested that prince harry could think about becoming an uber driver. there are lots of suggestions on twitter ab

on tuesday, harry and meghan arrived at canada house. it was their first engagement after a much—needed six—week break spent with their son archie away from the media glare. at the time it was assumed this hailed their return to work as high—profile members of the royal family. that assumption couldn't have been more wrong, as their statement, released yesterday evening, revealed. it's not yet clear what that progressive new role might mean for the couple and their position within the palace hierarchy. i see them now, to some extent, as setting up a kind of rival royal court or institution away from things, which frankly never really works because the main job of the royal family is to support the monarch, whoever that happens to be. prince philip, princess anne, absolutely brilliant, they were always there when they needed — when they weren't needed they quietly pursued their own endeavours, and i don't see why you can't work within the system. may 2016 — the wedding which delighted millions around the world now seems a very l

there have been suggestions that meghan is going to doa suggestions that meghan is going to do a voice—overfor suggestions that meghan is going to do a voice—over for disney. harry worked with oprah winfrey to produce a documentary mental health. the concern for the palace will be that they don't dine out on the royal brand. they have trademarked the name sussex royal, and they hope will be that they are not going to commercialise that brand too much, and that we don't see them endorsing brands that buckingham palace would feel to be distasteful. so all of this remains to be worked out, and it is going to be reviewed in a yea r‘s it is going to be reviewed in a year's time to see how and if it is working. so a work in progress. and finally, i wonder that given that the fact that we were talking about the fact that we were talking about the possibility of a slimmed down royalfamily in the possibility of a slimmed down royal family in the future, whether there is a risk that those who are left will feel they have too much on their plates. i think that is a concern. prince charles has of cour

the tabloid that meghan is suing over reports of her relationship with her dad, said in court papers, they will be calling him as a key witness, using text messages between thomas markel, harry and meghan in their defense. and prince harry will face at least some members of the british press for the first time since that announcement last week, when he attends a royal engagement tomorrow. it's a rugby league event. and it's being held here at buckingham palace. >> kelly cobiella for us

meghan lived and worked in toronto, the host city for prince harry‘s invictus games. two months later, their engagement was announced and the couple were interviewed in kensington palace by the bbc‘s mishal husain. how much of a sense did you have, meghan, of the enormity of what you are getting into, of what it might mean for your life? i can very safely say, as naive as it sounds now, having gone through this learning curve in the past year, i did not have any understanding of just what it would be like. i don‘t think either of us did, though. we both said that, even though we knew that it would be... no, i tried to warn you as much as possible. four days later, the couple carried out their first engagement together. just like harry, she was tactile, informal and confident. this seemed a different kind of royal walkabout. when meghan joined harry, prince william and kate on stage as the soon—to—be patron of the royal foundation, it seemed like the future of the royal family was safe in the hands of the so—called fab four. their wedding, watched by millions

they're calling it mexit, like it's meghan's fault. mark strassmann has the latest from buckingham palace. >> reporter: meghan and harry were known to be unhappy. now everybody. they had been discussing how to distance themselves from the royal whirlwind, but went ahead and issued their statement on their own, and without clearing it with the upper reaches of the royal food chain, particularly the queen. "we intend to step back as senior members of the royal family" their statement said. "we now plan to balance our time between the united kingdom and north america." the palace counters, "discussions are at an early stage," the royal family said. "these are complicated issues." code for not so fast, kids. this is not how we do things around here. for meghan and harry, it was like a declaration of independence. they were just back in london after a carefree six-week holiday escape in canada. family time with young archie away from the palace pressure cooker. they went to the canadian embassy in london to say thanks. >> my goodness, it wa

very fond of meghan. and she wanted the right arrangement that would suit them, and suit her, and the rest of her family. so they are going to retain their titles, duke and duchess, and they're not going to use hrh, although i think god bless you, americans will probably like the idea of using hrh, you go back historically, when king edward viii was demoted to duke of windsor, when he abdicated, wallace simpson the duke of windsor but harry and meghan won'ting ugs hrh, because it will be a conflict of conflict this they decide to use the sussex brands and go commercial. >> they are still the duke and duchess of sussex so there is a talk about the royal sussex potential trademark, or you know, i guess, you know, brand that they might want to capitalize on, is that still a possibility? >> that is still very much a possibility. they've still got to get the sussex royal brand confirmed, they have launched it with the world intellectual property organization, but there is a little bit of a glitch. i believe it

some people suggest harry and meghan got what they wa nted harry and meghan got what they wanted but they posted what they wa nted wanted but they posted what they wanted on the website ten days ago which is very different from the solution we have today and it is clear over the course of these negotiations they have had together and sent things. what did they not get? they did not get the opportunity to continue to kayak some royal duties are looking at the possibilities of a half in and have option where the at times represented the queen overseas and retained roles within the commonwealth and retain some status is working roles they also wanted greater autonomy stop that is what. it is clear that was not going to work people felt that not palatable. became very apparent very quickly when the outline that proposal was not realistic and i think this is a much more realistic proposition. clearly when you negotiate what you wa nt m ost clearly when you negotiate what you want most is a thing you stick with and they have stuck with the freedom and they have stuck with the freedom and t

the meghan at a film premiere last summer. the cameras meghan at a film premiere last summer. the cameras caught harry's conversation with the chairman of the disney corporation asking him if you could find his wife some voice—over work. and as the royal family tries to find a way forward, commentators are adding their analysis. some are suggesting that criticism of meghan has been racially motivated. it's the tabloid press who have taken a particular tone with meghan markle command from the very beginning wanted to allude to the fact that she had african heritage and that this was something that really threatened continuity within the royal family. that really threatened continuity within the royalfamily. officials rejected suggestions that either meghan or harry have been driven out. quite the reverse, in fact. they say that ever since their wedding, everyone from the queen down has recognised them as a hugely popular couple. furthermore, they've been at the heart of the prince of wales's vision for the future of the monarchy, or at least they have been until now. now, it

harry and meghan are out. the queen makes a final decision the duke and duchess of sussex lose their standing as members of the royal family no longer allowed to perform any official duties where do they go next? plus, the money they now have to repay the government >>> the nationwide mess from a massive snowmaker. 500 miles of highway shut down. scenes like this across the country an avalanche out west killing a skier, and thousands of flights canceled or delayed. brutal cold now moving in how does 45 below zero sound? >>> the new call for witnesses in the impeachment trial from two republican senators and the new photo evidence just released of the man at the center of the scandal. >>> airport alert. screening starts today at some u.s. airports for a deadly mystery virus coming in from china. >>> and there's good news tonight about a haircut giving students an edge up. >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with jose diaz-balart >> good evening. we begin with breaking news and a stunning announcement from the britis

so meghan doesn't feel like she's part of the family, the queen says she was impressed how quickly meghan became part of the family. they address frogmore cottage and repaying the financeses there. it tries to set them up for a positive springboard out of the royal family and into their life as private citizens. eric: here's part of the queen's statement, she says they hope for a new constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family, harry, meghan and archie will always be muched loved members of the family. it is the hope that the agreement allows them to start building and happy and peaceful life. one would hope that by building a peaceful and happy life, perhaps it hasn't been peaceful or happy for the young couple. >> it's no secret they have struggled under the spotlight. there's a lot of speculation whether meghan is motivating the move or if it's harry. i'm told harry struggled with the cameras and attention for quite a while. this seems like this is the happy path forward for them. eric: you would thinks at an official level you could do so much good for chari

harry and meghan said they're stepping back and the queen said they're stepping down. according to statement from buckingham palace the duke and duchess of sussex will no longer be called your royal highness and won't be working members of the royal family. they'll give up their royal duties and military obligations, lose all financial support from taxpayers and will have to repay the $3.1 million they used to renovate their home at the cottage in windsor. the queen said that harry, meghan and archie will be much loved members of my family and i recognize the challenges they

this is an educational database that meghan. this is an educational data base that apparently meghan. this is an educational database that apparently the department for education, they disable this data base department for education, they disable this database when they were confronted by the sunday times and referred the breach to the information commissioner ‘s office. but somehow or another there was an arrangement with bedding firms through a third—party data company thatis through a third—party data company that is being used by the department for education. it is the learning record service which you would expect would only be used for educational purposes as it is meant to be, but 28 million children and students, their information... apart from the fact that it is betting, which we know has been in the news with concerns about gambling and mental health and addiction, but it is also, you know, do we know whether these people could get investigate or get access to children's data investigate or get access to child r

and the dateline london panel discuss iran and harry and meghan. that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. the queen has summoned senior members of the royal family to sandringham to discuss future roles for the duke and duchess of sussex, who want to step back from their duties and spend more time in north america. the prince of wales, the duke of cambridge and the prince harry will attend the meeting tomorrow, while meghan is expected join over the phone from canada. here's our royal correspondent, nick witchell. it's been described as the "sandringham summit". on the queen's estate in norfolk tomorrow, the queen will come face—to—face with prince harry for the first time since he and his wife issued their personal statement about their future last wednesday. also there will be the prince of wales and prince william, and harry's wife, meghan, the duchess of sussex, is expected to phone—in to join the discussion from canada. officials have worked hard in recent days to understand what the sussexes want. there will, we understand, be a range

but if —— fears meghan tell all interview." but if -- if fears meghan tell all interview." but if —— if it is harry and meghan doing the interview, why have they singled her out? sure, but why is this coming out anyway? tom bradley isa this coming out anyway? tom bradley is a friend of theirs, why is it being leaked out? there is no smoke without fire. he has been quite close to prince harry and meghan, interviewed them for the show and everything else, there is no smoke without fire, both sides can look at this and claimed that they are being misrepresented. but don't use the media as your vehicle to discuss this. i think the royalfamily has not for decades, i think yes, there is evolution going on, but the new royals have to be careful about what they are trying to change. so many of you have been in touch about this quy of you have been in touch about this guv by of you have been in touch about this guy by the way, hashtag #bbcthebriefing, you tell us what you think about this. talking about dissension in the ranks, sussexes', talking about the catholic church and po

what harry and meghan want, harry and meghan get, this is exactly what they hoped for. there is a commitment it seems from the monarch that they will remain members of the royal family and they will be allowed to live in canada and by all accounts is what we can read into this statement seek commercial deals. and that is something that for a long time members of the royal family, senior members of the royal family were deeply against, so it does feel like harry and meghan have got their desired outcome from this meeting today. guidelines for working royals were outlined in 2001, after prince edward's wife sophie was accused of cashing in on her status. they must consult the lord chamberlain, a senior royal official, before embarking on new business opportunities and royal business must be kept separate. again, it's still unclear how this will work for the sussexes. but we do know the couple applied to trademark their sussex royal brand across a wide range of items including calendars, book marks, and exhibitions. that has not gone down particularly well in some quarters

prince harry and meghan marker learn no longer working for the family. brits while they are still letting the shakeup sink in. >> so sad, it feels like he's got stand away from royal duties. but he obviously made that decision and i think part of that might have been to do with his mama. >> i feel sorry it has broken down, we only want him to be settled and have a good family life. eric: with more from london on what is ahead. >> we saw the queen smiling at church today and she mentioned she was there with prince andrew. a very rare public appearance for that prince since all of the fallout from his connection and friendship with the late pedophile, jeffrey epstein. but this may really be a sign the monarchy is trying to move ahead from some of the uncomfortable moments that they have been dealing with in the past six months. now commentators are calling the announcement of the deal last night the hardest megxit possible. that the queens warmly worded statement was a sugarcoated dismissal notice. what still is to be determined is whether their new brands

our top stories: palace talks conclude over the future of prince harry and meghan — they'll lose their royal titles and public funding when they step back from official duties. president trump's lawyers give their first formal response to his impeachment, they say it's a brazen attempt by his rivals to interfere in the upcoming election. violent clashes break out between anti—government protesters and police in the lebanese capital — dozens of people are injured from fires to floods, scorched parts of australia's east coast are now battered by heavy rain and thunderstorms. hello and welcome to bbc news. buckingham palace has announced the new arrangements for prince harry and his wife meghan, saying they'll no longer be working members of the royal family and will no longer use their titles of "royal highness." harry and meghan will step back from royal duties, but will continue to be patrons of charities they've chosen to support. in a personal statement queen elizabeth said she supports the couple's wish for a more independent life. our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, has

to stay within the royal family harry and meghan to stay within the royalfamily as harry and meghan to stay within the royal family as it exists as working senior member to the causes that they care about under the umbrella of the british royalfamily they care about under the umbrella of the british royal family but i understand that it's not what they wa nt understand that it's not what they want and therefore we have to create a different path for them." i think in that letter you can really sense she is sorry and she would have preferred something different to happen. clearly as you say again you we re happen. clearly as you say again you were alluding to it, they will have been attempts to persuade them maybe to roll back from the plans that they announced last week. a different path for them." i think in that letter you can really sense she is sorry and she would have preferred something different to happen. clearly as you say again you we re happen. clearly as you say again you were alluding to it, they will have been attempts to persuade them maybe to rollback from the plans

meghan in canada. >> he's a father. his prior priority is his wife and son and i think what we're seeing is he's putting them first. >> reporter: it's still early days but for now it seems the family has reached a tentative agreement. the queen voicing her support but admitting it was not what she wanted. issuing this statement. "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." harry and meghan have made clear 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. >> i spoke to a number of people that know the queen very well and the reality is she absolutely is a pragmatist, let's gust get this resolved. >> reporter: just ahead of today's meeting a glimpse of unity, prince william and harry releasing their firs

i mean, harry and meghan. the decision, the statement they made a couple weeks ago kept the uk, it's been huge news here. we hardly noticed anything else. it's been a top news story and now we have a decision. now we have an announcement about what is going to happen. and i have to say, i was expecting something more half in/half out. it's clear harry and meaghan wee hoping to support the queen and this really made it very clear. they are out of the royal family as working royals. they will now be free to earn their own income and no longer using their title and they will repay all the money that has been spent by the queen and by the taxpayer on their accommodations. so, really, they're not half in, half out. they're not doing some engagements and not others. they are really very much now independent people and this is a huge story and the beginning, i think, of great change for the royal family. there's been a lot of talk over the last ten years or so about a slimmed down monarchy here reducing the amount of

on tuesday, harry and meghan arrived at canada house. it was their first engagement after a much—needed six—week break spent with their son, archie, away from the media glare. at the time it was assumed this hailed their return to work as high—profile members of the royal family. that assumption couldn't have been more wrong, as their statement, released yesterday evening, revealed... it's not yet clear what that progressive new role might mean for the couple and their position within the palace hierarchy. i see them now, to some extent, as setting up a kind of rival royal court or institution away from things, which frankly never really works because the main job of the royal family is to support the monarch, whoever that happens to be. prince philip, princess anne, absolutely brilliant, they were always there when they needed, when they weren't needed they quietly pursued their own endeavours, and i don't see why you can't work within the system. may 2018, the wedding which delighted millions around the world now seems a very lon

the public have been supportive of harry and meghan and they support harry and meghan wanting to step away from the royal family. what they don't like the idea is them continuing to be funded. it is difficult to say okay, you're going to fund harry and meghan's life while they're earning hundreds of millions of dollars from the endorsement deals and public speaking. there are going to be companies lining up to get harry and meghan on board. that's where it's difficult for harry and meghan because they need to make sure whatever income they generate comes from clean sources. there can't be any controversy come back on them. >> do the british people think they should give up their titles. >> at the moment yes. it looks like the public is saying you're either royal or not. they want harry to be happy. they've been glad to see harry find his wife. we've watched harry grow up and anyone who was around when diana died remembers that pained little boy. yes, they're fully in support of harry and meghan being private citizens. but in that case, be private citizens. you can't be half royal as w

meghan, in canada, may join on the phone. a frail prince philip also spotted at sandringham this morning. the queen keeping on at church on sunday, as the palace works on a deal that allows harry and meghan to step back from royal life and take on a financially independent role >> they are trying to negotiate. they appreciate there's going to be a situation where there are going to be two high-profile members of the royal family operating a secondary royal family outside of the main institution. >> reporter: harry and megan's sudden announcement leaving more questions than answered. today's talks will focus on harry and meghan's royal titles. will they keep them? their royal duties how much work will they still do on behalf of the queen their finances will the queen and prince charles provide financial support? and what kind of deals harry and meghan will be able to take after becoming financially independent. harry, the most popular royal after the queen, and his american wife, meghan, announce they wanted to step back as se

well before he met meghan. i think that this has been something that they have been talking about privately for a long time because -- not least because of the way that they feel they have been treated. as we know, it's well documented, they do not feel they've been treated well. so in that sense, i think you're right. on the other hand, i think there are lots of aspects of this that aren't figured out. to give you an example, you mentioned sussex royal -- by the way, i think their trademarking of that name doesn't necessarily mean they're going to, you know, sell fashion and books and all these things as sussex royal, it could be a protecting of that brand. but just in terms of that name, sussex royal, it's still unclear how they can be called sussex royal if effectively they are no longer going to be working members of the royal family. so there are lots of issues, i think, that haven't been worked out, while at the same time this is -- this is a kind of long story arc of particularly prince harry's struggle

this is meghan yesterday at the east side women's centre in vancouver. she flew back last week, the day after she and prince harry informed the world and the royal family of their plans, which will include basing themselves in canada for at least part of the time. locals on vancouver island are getting used to the idea. very exciting. well, ithink getting used to the idea. very exciting. well, i think maybe it is a nice break for them exciting. well, i think maybe it is a nice breakfor them to come exciting. well, i think maybe it is a nice break for them to come to canada and chill with nice canadians. i think it is a nice move. beautiful place i know they have visited before and they liked it. happy to have them obviously. the couple's unhappiness with the press coverage they have received is believed to be one reason by their decision to cease being senior working royals, it was announced last october meghan was suing the owners of the mail on sunday for the publication of extracts from a letter she sent to her estranged father thomas. the paper's def

that magen was very unhappy. just meghan, do you think?” that magen was very unhappy. just meghan, do you think? i think they didn't feel happy as a family unit. i think magen felt under attack by elements of the media but i think harry hasn't really found a role for himself as he found the military. this is an opportunity to carve out a family life which in the speech he says he has always wanted. he has always wanted a wife, family, someone always wanted a wife, family, someone he can love. the only thing i would disagree with is i think harry did have something he wanted to do. he said and i believe him, he said they were very excited when they got married because they could see all kinds of things they could do. they weren't able to do those things and i think we also have to remember that harry, the other thing to is this guy is leaving his country and he is leaving his family. we cannot talk about the royal family but this is family. we cannot talk about the royalfamily but this is his family. we cannot talk about the royal family

the queen attends church at sandringham after reaching an agreement with prince harry and meghan over their future. the couple will no longer use their hrh titles and will give up all royal duties from the spring. in other news, powers come into force this week to stop stalkers from contacting or approaching their victims while police investigate allegations against them. the conflict in libya, key world powers begin a conference in berlin aimed at bringing an end to nearly nine years of factionalfighting. moving the house of lords out of london. the chair of the conservative party confirms it's an option being looked at. and we look at the battle for self driving car supremacy between the united states and china. that's in click in half an hour. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. it's business as usual for the queen today as she attends church at sandringham after she agreed a deal on the future of the duke and duchess of sussex. here she is, arriving earlier this morning. she has now left the church. last night buckingham palace said prince harry and his wife meghan will no lon

once meghan and i we re meghan's wedding. once meghan and i were married, we were excited, we we re were married, we were excited, we were hopeful and we were here to serve. for those reasons, were hopeful and we were here to serve. forthose reasons, it were hopeful and we were here to serve. for those reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this. he said the decision for him and his wife to step back is not one he made lightly. what i want to make clear is we are not walking away and we certainly are not walking away from you. our hope was to continue serving the queen, the commonwealth and my military associations, that without public funding. u nfortu nately, without public funding. unfortunately, that wasn't possible. and he said he would continue to serve his country. i will always have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my commander—in—chief, and i'm incredible to —— incredibly grateful to her and my family for the support they have shown meghan andi the support they have shown meghan and i o