The photo of Queen Elizabeth II ahead of her annual Christmas message sparked controversy after it showed some members of the royal family except for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Many thought the Queen could be mad of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for not spending the holidays with her in Sandringham.
Many royal fans have been criticizing Harry and Meghan for skipping this year's Christmas celebration at the Queen's estate in Norfolk despite Harry's grandmother's invitation. Some slammed the royal couple for being inconsiderate of the Queen and Prince Philip's age.
Netizens said the monarch could only have few Christmases left so Harry and the Suits actress could have thought about it. Just recently, Prince Philip had spent a few days in the hospital. Though Buckingham Palace said it was for "observation and treatment of a pre-existing condition," many have doubts and expressed concern to the Duke of Edinburgh's health.
Prince Harry and Meghan are reportedly spending the holidays in Canada with the latter's mother, Doria Ragland. For the past two years, the couple spent Christmas at the Queen's Norfolk home. This is the first Christmas that Harry would be celebrating away from his family except from the time he was deployed in Afghanistan in 2012.
On display at the Queen's desk for her Christmas message are the framed pictures of her father King George VI, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, and Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children. Prince Harry and Meghan's photo is noticeably missing. This sparked speculation that the Queen deliberately snubbed the couple.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward, however, said that is unlikely. She said the Queen's table represents the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy.
"All the media problems with Harry and Meghan must have worried her. However, she would never be so underhand as to deliberately omit their picture," Seward added.
The royal insider also revealed that celebrating Christmas at Sandringham is quite stressful. This could be the reason why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided not to take their seven-month-old Baby Archie there considering his age. Seward, however, agreed on netizens' observation that it was sad the Sussexes won't be celebrating the few remaining Christmases of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh considering their age.
The royal commentator Victoria Howard also doesn't think that the Queen snubbed the Sussexes by omitting their photo on her table. Howard told Oprah Magazine that the tableau of framed photos on her desk was chosen based on the proximity to the throne of those in the pictures. She said this is why the Queen's other children-Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward-don't have photos on her desk as well.
