Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has returned to Canada to be with baby Archie, leaving her husband Prince Harry to deal with his outraged family, according to reports.

Eight-month-old Archie stayed behind with a nanny in Canada after the Sussexes spent several weeks in their rumoured new home over the holidays, The Daily Mail reported.

Meghan spent just three days in the UK, during which she and Harry announced their "resignation" from senior positions in the royal family, which has caused chaos at The Firm.

She will remain in Vancouver for the foreseeable future while Harry will remain in Britain to host the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw next week, according to The Sun.

The Queen has held a crisis call with members of the royal family to find a "workable solution" to the announcement "at pace".

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Her Majesty, in Sandringham, Prince Charles, in Scotland, and Prince William have been locked in a four-way conference call with Prince Harry, in Windsor, to try and resolve his and Meghan's exit from the royal family, the Daily Mail reported.

Shortly after Harry and Meghan's announcement on Thursday morning (NZ time) that they sought to be "financially independent" from the monarch,, Buckingham Palace responded with a statement in which they said "discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at early stage", but admitted it was a "complicated issue".

WPA Pool UK media are reporting Meghan is leaving the UK.

The Queen would be "more angry" about Meghan and Harry's shock decision to step back from the royal family than she was about the disastrous Prince Andrew interview discussing the Epstein scandal, a former aide says.

Composite: Stuff The Queen has held a four-way crisis call with Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Ex press-spokesman to the Queen, Dickie Arbiter, told Good Morning Britain that the Queen and Prince William had no idea Thursday's announcement was coming. They were apparently "hurt" by Harry and Meghan's call to release a personal statement, which they received only 10 minutes before.

"[Prince Harry and Meghan Markle] had a brief chat with the Prince of Wales some time ago and he cautioned them to get everything in place before you make an announcement," Arbiter said.

Apparently Prince Charles advised the couple to "work out the logistics" of how they were going to split their time between the UK and North America before formally making an announcement - but they "didn't listen to him".

TOLGA AKMEN/WPA POOL VIA GETTY IMAGES The Queen apparently wasn't aware that Harry and Meghan were going to drop the news.

"The Queen will be feeling very let down and very angry, probably more angry than she felt after Andrew's car crash interview," Arbiter said.

He said Harry and Meghan have dropped a "bombshell", while Prince Andrew's involvement in the Epstein scandal has been "going on for ages".

Andrew has stepped down from his royal duties, admitting that his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein "let down" the royal family.

FRANK AUGSTEIN/AP Harry and Meghan took a more casual approach to wishing Kate a happy birthday, by commenting on Kensington Royal's Instagram photo of her.

Harry and Meghan's announcement that they would be stepping down as senior members of the royal family was said to have "deeply upset" the Queen, according to palace insiders.

"The Queen doesn't deserve this," a source told a Daily Mail royal correspondent.

The directive was issued 24 hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued an extraordinary statement that revealed the pair had decided to separate from the broader institution following months of "reflection and internal discussion".

The statement - and a new official Sussexroyal.com website - have thrown up important questions about funding for the couple's round-the-clock security, media access to their royal events and how they will pay for their future lifestyles.

In his BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, the prince denied being with Virginia Roberts Giuffre at the Tramp nightclub in 2001.

The pair said they sought to be "financially independent" from the monarch, ultimately relinquishing about 5 per cent of funds they received from the Sovereign Grant, which is the money the Queen earns from public taxation.

The remainder of their income came from the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate that earns Prince Charles and his family money in rent and pays Harry, essentially, for a being a prince.

They still want to live at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor when in the UK, but that relies on approval from the Queen, which has not yet been granted. The country house was recently renovated at a cost of £2.4 million (NZ$4.5 million).

In an interview last year, Harry confirmed rumours of a rift with his brother William, saying the pair were on "different paths".

The Sussexes were absent from the traditional royal family Christmas celebration in Sandringham last year.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan's sister-in-law, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, celebrated her 38th birthday on January 9, one day after the Sussex family made their announcement.

Frank Augstein/AP Prince Harry and Meghan's sister-in-law, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, celebrated her 38th birthday on January 9, one day after the Sussexes made their announcement.

The palace released a new portrait of the royal to celebrate the occasion and paid homage to Kate's hard work by sharing a collection of photos of her with the Queen.

"Wishing The Duchess of Cambridge a very happy birthday," the post on Twitter read.

It linked to Kate's profile on the palace website, which detailed her work over the years.

Harry and Meghan took a more casual approach to wishing Kate a happy birthday, by commenting on Kensington Royal's Instagram photo of her.

"Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge today," the comment read.

- With Sydney Morning Herald