The Queen was photographed today for the first time since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed they were stepping down as senior royals as crisis talks continue within the Royal Family.
Her Majesty was pictured leaving Sandringham in Norfolk in her Land Rover at lunchtime, before driving along local country roads to a shoot in a field which was attended by guests including her grandson Peter Phillips.
The decision to break cover on public roads is was a choreographed move to play down fears that Harry and Meghan’s announcement had shaken the Firm to the extent that she was forced to bunker down and cancel prior engagements.
But despite her efforts to convey it is business as usual, the Sussexes decision to quit has sent shockwaves reverberating to the very top of the Royal Family.
The couple horrified and shocked Harry’s family including the ‘hurt and furious’ Queen, who had begged them to delay announcing their ‘nuclear’ plans. Prince Charles and Prince William only got a copy of the statement ten minutes before it went live on their secretly developed website.