August M
A moment during a traditional royal broadcast is said to have deepened tensions between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the rest of the Royal Family. According to later accounts, it left the couple feeling increasingly isolated within the institution.
The claims were reported by the Express and draw on details published elsewhere about the period leading up to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepping back from royal duties.
A missing image
The issue centred on Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas address in 2019, delivered from Buckingham Palace. Viewers could see several framed family photographs arranged on the desk beside the late monarch.
According to the Mirror, no image of Harry, Meghan and their then seven-month-old son Archie appeared among them. Other photographs included senior royals and direct predecessors.
In the book Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand said the absence was interpreted by the Sussexes as deliberate.
How it was seen
The authors wrote that Harry and Meghan believed the omission reflected a broader pattern.
They claimed the couple felt the Royal Family were “conspiring against them” and that they had “long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future”.
In the book, Scobie and Durand described the scene in detail. “One didn’t have to look further than the family photos displayed during the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day,” they wrote. “Noticeably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan and their new baby, Archie”, Express reports
Palace explanation
According to Express, royal sources cited by the authors said the photographs were selected to highlight the direct line of succession.
The display included images of the then Prince Charles and Camilla, the Wales family, Prince Philip, and a historic photograph of George VI.
Despite that explanation, Scobie and Durand wrote that the Sussexes viewed the moment differently.
They said Harry and Meghan saw it as “yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path”.
Breaking away
At the time of the broadcast, the couple were spending the festive season in Canada with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
They did not attend the Queen’s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.
Harry and Meghan were also absent from the traditional Christmas Day gathering at Sandringham. Within weeks, in January 2020, they announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior working royals.
Sources: Express, Mirror
