Prince Harry and Meghan Markle re-evaluated their position in the royal family after one incident when they felt sidelined by the Queen, according to sources.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were welcomed by the royal family warmly. The Queen did more to Markle than Kate Middleton. Her Majesty invited her to spend Christmas with the royals even before she married Prince Harry.
It was an unprecedented move because royal fiancees usually do not spend the holidays with the British royal family. However, there was one incident that allegedly made the Duke and Duchess of Sussex think about their roles in the monarchy.
Prince Harry and Meghan were allegedly upset
Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s book Finding Freedom detailed one incident when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were upset. It happened during Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas speech in 2019.
During Queen Elizabeth II’s speech, four photos were displayed on her desk. The picture frames featured the Cambridge family, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, and the Queen’s father. The Sussexes were nowhere in sight and they allegedly felt sidelined.
“The lack of photograph of them during the Queen’s Christmas speech obviously had an effect on them,” Mirror’s royal expert Russell Myers told Channel 5.
Scobie and Durand also covered the same incident in Finding Freedom. According to them, Prince Harry and Markle were hurt that their photos were not included on the Queen’s desk.
“Harry felt as though he and Meghan had long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future,” the book read.
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Photo selection explained
Meanwhile, palace sources defended the Queen and said that the four picture frames represent the direct line of succession. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are way down the line of succession, so their family photo was not shown on the monarch’s desk.
However, for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it was a sign that prompted them to “consider their own path.”
Royal expert Katie Nicholl stressed that the royal couple was not missed out. Instead, the pictures only send one message and that’s the future of the monarchy, including the future heirs and sovereigns.
Sussexes planning to return to the U.K.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are considering to spend the holidays in the U.K., according to an insider. However, they haven’t made up their mind yet due to the pandemic.
The couple will likely have to quarantine for two weeks before they can reunite with the other members of the Firm. But both want to do it to reconnect with the other royals and so Archie can see the Queen.
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