Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have taken the first steps into their new independent life thousands of miles apart, as a friend of the couple pushed back against accusations they blindsided the Queen with their announcement they would step down from royal duties.

Key points: The Queen, Prince William and Prince Charles are working to determine future roles for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

The Queen, Prince William and Prince Charles are working to determine future roles for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex The UK media reported the Queen held crisis talks from her estate in Sandringham

The UK media reported the Queen held crisis talks from her estate in Sandringham The senior Royals have told their teams to work with the British Government and the couple to work out a solution

As the Duchess of Sussex flew back to Canada, where the couple spent a six-week Christmas break out of the public eye, the Duke stayed in England, where the Royal family sought to contain the crisis sparked by the couple's decision to effectively quit as "senior Royals".

Queen Elizabeth II moved quickly to take control of the situation, ordering Royal courtiers to sort out a future role for the couple within days.

British media reported on Friday that the monarch, who is at her Sandringham estate in eastern England, held a conference call with her son the Prince of Wales and grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Royal family was reportedly "hurt" by the Duke and Duchess's decision to step down from their role, with media saying they were not told of the statement beforehand.

UK media reported the Royal family held crisis talks in a conference call with the Queen. ( Instagram: kensingtonroyal )

But the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William have told their teams to work with the Government and the couple to sort out a solution.

In the meantime, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday the Duchess had returned to Canada, where the couple and eight-month-old son Archie spent the holiday season at a secluded luxury home on Vancouver Island.

The former actress is American but has longstanding ties to Canada, having lived in Toronto while filming the popular television show Suits.

Decision comes amid new focus on core Royals

The crisis talks were triggered by the pair's "personal message" on Wednesday evening saying they were stepping back from being senior members of Britain's Royal family, would work to become financially independent and would "balance" their time between the UK and North America.

Prince Harry, 35, is sixth in line to the British throne, behind his father, older brother Prince William and his brother's three children.

The former British Army officer is one of the Royal family's most popular members and has spent his entire life in the public eye.

Before marrying the Prince in a wedding watched around the world in 2018, the 38-year-old Meghan had carved out a successful career as an actress and lifestyle "influencer" with a popular blog, the now-defunct The Tig.

A friend of the couple, broadcaster Tom Bradby, said Prince Harry and Meghan were made aware while in Canada over the holidays that the monarchy's future focus would be on those at the top of the line of succession.

An image released by the Royal family showing the Queen and the three next in line to the throne — Prince Charles, Prince William and his son Prince George — appeared to underscore who the Windsors saw as their core members.

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"It had been made clear to them in their absence there was going to be a slimmed-down monarchy and they weren't really a part of it," said Mr Bradby, an ITV television anchor who filmed revealing interviews with Prince Harry and Meghan while they were in Africa last year.

Mr Bradby described the royal split as inevitable. He said the wish by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to leave the grind of front-line royal duty had been known, though the timing of their announcement was not.

"It's certainly not true to say the Palace were blindsided by this," MR Bradby told ITV.

Photographs of Prince Charles and Prince William featured in the Queen's Christmas Day message. ( AP: Steve Parsons/pool )

The rift has exposed what appear to be more divisions within the British monarchy, which was rocked in November by Prince Andrew's television interview about his friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York, the Queen's second son, has relinquished royal duties and patronages in the wake of one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, saying the disgraced financier forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew at a London apartment in 2001 when she was 17.

Prince Andrew has denied any inappropriate relations with Ms Giuffre.

'Look at the racism that Meghan Markle has experienced'

Harry and Meghan have faced a barrage of criticism from the British press over their decision to step away from Royal duties.

They have long complained of intrusive media coverage and accused some British media commentators of racism towards the biracial Duchess.

This week they slammed the country's long-standing arrangements for royal media coverage and insisted that from now on they prefer to communicate directly with the public through social media.

The Daily Mail focused on the Queen's "fury" while the Guardian were more sympathetic to the couple. ( Supplied )

Many in Britain, though, expressed sympathy for the Royal couple. Labour Party MP Clive Lewis told backers Friday at his campaign launch that he understood their decision.

"It is extremely unfortunate and a sign of the media we have that they feel they have to do this," he said.

"I know it is not the only reason. But if you look at the intrusion on their lives, if you look at the racism that Meghan Markle has experienced in the British media, then I can understand why."

The couple's statement on Wednesday left many questions unanswered — such as what they plan to do and how they will earn a private income without tarnishing the monarchy's image.

At the moment, they are largely funded by Prince Charles, through income from his vast Duchy of Cornwall estate.

The couple said they planned to cut ties to the British taxpayer support given each year to the Queen for official use, which currently covers 5 per cent of the costs of running their office.

But commentators have questioned whether the Royal couple has misunderstood their true cost to the country, arguing their statement does not appear to cover some of the expenditures embedded in royal life, such as security.

Prince Harry and Meghan have considerable assets of their own. The Prince inherited an estimated 7 million pounds ($13.2 million) from his late mother, Princess Diana, as well as money from his great-grandmother. Meghan has money from a successful acting career.

AP