Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were “tipped over the edge” by one particular moment during Christmas 2019 after which they “knew” they needed to make their “own path”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit their royal duties in early 2020 and moved to the US, after a turbulent relationship with the Firm. But while there were many factors which contributed to their exit, that particular moment was the “final straw”, according to a royal author.
In his first book, Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie, alongside Carolyn Durand, wrote about how Harry and Meghan were allegedly furious when, during the late Queen Elizabeth’s 2019 Christmas broadcast, there was not a picture of them and their then newborn son, Prince Archie, alongside the family portraits on the monarch’s desk.
Even before they announced their departure from the Royal Family, the couple allegedly believed the Firm and royal staff were “conspiring against them”.
According to the authors, the couple felt they “had long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future.”
The book read: “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.
“Palace sources insisted that the photos were chosen to represent the direct line of succession, but for Harry and Meghan, it had been yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path.”
However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were featured in that year’s Christmas Day speech, when never-before-seen footage of the Queen and Prince Philip meeting Archie for the first time with Harry, Meghan and Meghan’s mum, Doria Ragland, was included.
