UPDATE 1-Meghan goes back to Canada to be with son Archie after royal rift

Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, has gone back to Canada to be with their son after the couple provoked a rift with Britain's royal family by unexpectedly announcing they would be stepping back from their roles to spend more time in North America.

Queen Elizabeth and other senior British royals were trying to calm the royal crisis by thrashing out a plan for Harry and Meghan after the couple blindsided the family by going public with their plans without consultation. The couple spent six weeks in Canada at the end of 2019 before returning to Britain and their first official engagement of the year was to visit Canada House where they thanked the country for what they said had been an "unbelievable" welcome.

Their son, Archie, remained in Canada as Harry and Meghan returned to make their announcement that they would step back from royal duties and build a more "progressive" role for themselves. Meghan has returned to Canada to be with her son, a spokeswoman said.

Harry and Meghan's decision to step back from royal duties, announced on Instagram, left senior royals hurt and disappointed. Neither the queen nor Prince Charles - Harry's father and heir to the throne - were consulted on their statement.

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