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We might finally know what actually led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the royal family! According to Christopher Andersen’s explosive new book, Brothers And Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, a source explained that Harry and Meghan felt “snubbed” by The Queen, after a portrait of the two of them posing with their son, Archie, was purposely removed from a table of photographs before The Queen’s Christmas 2019 message.
The book states that Her Majesty looked over to the table in The Green Drawing Room in Windsor Castle where some family photographs were arranged, and allegedly told the director that, “All were fine but one.” The Queen then, according to the book, allegedly pointed to the family picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding their then seven-month old baby, Archie, and said: “That one, I suppose we don’t need that one.”
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The framed photo of The Sussexes was allegedly initially placed on a desk which The Queen would be sitting behind for her traditional Christmas address, alongside other family images. One of the framed pictures was a family portrait of Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, while another framed picture that made the cut was of Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, which marked the 50th anniversary of his investiture as Prince of Wales.
The other two photographs which were visible in the British monarch’s Christmas speech were a recent picture of her husband Prince Philip, from her private collection, and a black and white picture of her father, George VI, which is believed to be from 1944, placed closest to her.
If the allegations made in the book are true, it's believed that The Queen may have excluded the picture of the Sussexes from the table as they had chosen to spend the holidays with Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, in Canada that year. It's also worth noting that Harry and Meghan did appear in a picture which was seen at the 2018 Christmas address, although royal commentator Ingrid Seward reportedly said that it was unlikely that The Queen’s 2019 photo selections were a deliberate snub to the Sussexes.
"All the media problems with Harry and Meghan must have worried her," Seward said at the time. "However, she would never be so underhand as to deliberately omit their picture." She added: "It does seem to represent the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy." Neither The Queen, nor any palace spokespeople, have officially commented on the alleged snub described in Andersen's book, although a palace spokesperson reportedly told The New York Post: "We don’t comment on books of this kind as to do so risks giving it some form of authority or credibility." Take from that what you will!
