Prince William appeared sombre as he left Kensington Palace on Tuesday morning. The 37-year-old royal was pictured as he embarked on the school run with Prince George and Princess Charlotte – less than 24 hours after he attended crunch talks surrounding his brother's decision to step back as a senior royal. Dressed in a maroon jumper worn over a blue shirt, William was joined by a protection officer in the passenger seat as he drove his two eldest children to St Thomas’s in Battersea, a 20-minute drive from the family home.
Prince William was pictured leaving Kensington Palace on Tuesday morning
Prince William joined the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince Harry at Sandringham on Monday to discuss Harry and Meghan's desire to step back as senior members of the royal family, and become financially independent. Each of the four royals were accompanied by their respective private secretaries - Sir Edward Young for the Queen, Clive Alderton for Charles, Simon Case for Prince William and Fiona Mcilwham for Prince Harry. Following the historic meeting, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of the Queen. It read: "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.
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"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. 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."
Earlier that same day, Prince William and Prince Harry released a statement of their own in retaliation to reports of bullying. A spokesperson for Prince William and Prince Harry said: "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful." One article claimed that Harry and Meghan felt they had been "pushed away from the royal family" by the "bullying attitude" of older brother William.