he last time Harry spent with the royals was back in 2018, following his wedding in May earlier that year. The following December, they spent the festive season in Canada during an extended break from their royal duties. Mere weeks later, the Sussexes dropped the bombshell news they were quitting royal life. And according to one royal expert, it was an incident that took place in Christmas 2019 that tipped the couple over the edge.
The couple were said to be upset when they saw family portraits on display on the late Queen’s desk, but none featured the Sussexes. In the book Finding Freedom, authors Omid and Carolyn Durand claimed the couple believed the Royal Family were “conspiring against them” with the move. They said Harry and Meghan also felt they had “long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future”.
They wrote: “One didn’t have to look further than the family photos displayed during the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day. In the Green Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, where the Queen delivered her address, viewers glimpsed photos of the [Waleses] and their children, Charles and Camilla, Prince Philip, and a black-and-white image of George VI. Noticeably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan, and their new baby, Archie.”
The authors said palace sources insisted the photos were chosen to represent the “direct line of succession”. However, Omid and Carolyn said Harry and Meghan felt it was “yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path.”
On the face of it, the picture simply showcased the future of the monarchy and mirrored many historic portraits. But it is alleged to have caused upset behind the scenes.
In his book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew Morton wrote: “The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them. As they saw it, the evidence was all around them. The unspoken code was straightforward: the future of the monarchy was assured, with or without Meghan and Harry.”