It was always unlikely a finalised way forward would be revealed directly after the Sandringham summit.

A statement from the Queen came with all the right words of support and respect, but the details of exactly how things will work into the future remain missing for now.

The Queen, though, has made it clear she wants an end to damaging speculation and final decisions reached within days.

At the beginning of a new decade, the Royal family is at a crossroads, and any change to an institution with hundreds of years of tradition needs to be carefully crafted.

But the Queen's statement shows a wish to achieve what her grandson and his wife desire.

An added bonus going into the meeting was, for the first time in a long time, signs of a united front from the Royal brothers.

Clearly furious at a report in the Times newspaper that Prince William had bullied the Sussexes out of the family fold, they joined forces to hit back.

In a statement, they labelled the claims "offensive", "inflammatory" and "potentially harmful."

Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry joined forces to hit back at an "offensive" newspaper report. ( Reuters: Stefan Wermuth )

That the Royal institution has arrived at a new juncture is not necessarily a bad thing.

Over time, the Royals have always had to modernise and some would argue they've been too slow.

That a prince who has no real prospect of becoming king cannot pursue his own purpose for existence seems harsh.

While some in the British press blame Meghan for driving her husband away from royalty, others acknowledge a greater distance is something he has always yearned for.

Issues of funding and security are complicated but not insurmountable.

Protecting the Royal brand

The real difficulty for the monarchy is figuring out how they can protect the brand while members leave the fold and are influenced or become influential in other nations.

It is possible that with a new found freedom, Prince Harry could become an even better modern Royal.

As Harry and Meghan step back, protecting the Royal brand is in question. ( @SussexRoyal: Chris Allerton, AP )

He's made it clear his duty still lies with the Queen and when she calls he's sure to come running, or flying, home.

Now he's calling on her to deliver a new path forward, not only for himself but for the Royals that follow behind him, including his own son.

And if the Queen does agree for the Sussexes to be part-time royals and it all backfires … then the Royal brand, with all its money and might, will just need to find a new way to stay relevant in a modern age.

Once it can no longer do that, its existence will be limited anyway.

So they may as well give a remodel a try.