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Russell Myers & Abigail O'Leary & Sophie McCoid

Meghan Markle flies to Canada alone after 'quitting' Royal family

Meghan Markle  is believed to have flown back to Canada less than 48 hours since she and Prince Harry announced their decision to 'step back' from the Royal Family.

The Duchess of Sussex has left her husband in the UK to have crisis talks with the Royal households, as she returns to the couple's son Archie over the pond.

Sources are believed to have told the Mail she "had not" planned on staying in the UK after their six-week Christmas break.

Harry has also told the Queen and dad Charles he will follow his wife to Canada as soon as possible, although he does have an engagement in the diary next Thursday - reports Mirror Online.

He faces an awkward return to Buckingham Palace when he hosts the draw there for the Rugby League World Cup.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (Getty Images)

The development comes just hours after the Royal Family released a statement saying they would be working with Harry and Meghan in forming a plan on what was yesterday described as a "complicated issue".

A Palace statement said: "The Queen, the Prince Of Wales and Duke of Cambridge have directed their teams to work together at pace with the government and the Sussex household to find workable solutions."

Palace sources say the directive is to sort the situation out "in days not weeks".

Sources close to the family said the couple had been planning the move as far back as Spring 2019.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding their son Archie during a meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs Tutu (PA)

It has also been claimed the couple chose to disregard pleas from their closest aides on Monday night that they should hold off from releasing their statement.

The bombshell announcement read : "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.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (PA)

"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."

When in the UK, the couple reside at their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage - which was renovated last year at the taxpayers' cost of £2.4million.

Renovations on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace reportedly cost £4.5 million, while work on their home Anmer Hall in Norfolk ran to £1.5 million.

Harry and Meghan came under scrutiny over the summer for their use of private jets, which were paid for by the couple and Elton John.

Before she married into the family Meghan, who had a successful acting career, had a personal fortune of around £3.8m, according to The Independent.

Prince Harry's fortune is thought to stand at around £30m, much of which he inherited from his mother Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.

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