It is not uncommon for family conflicts to reach a boiling point around the holiday season, as evidenced by the relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Mirror reported that at the beginning of January in the year 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised the entire world by announcing that they would be leaving the United Kingdom and resigning from their positions as royals. And according to a controversial royal book, it was actually an incident that occurred over Christmas just a few weeks previously that had left them furious, leaving them determined that they needed to make their own path.
Instead of attending the royal holiday celebrations in Sandringham, Prince Harry, Meghan, and their infant son Archie made the decision to spend Christmas 2019 in Canada with Meghan's mother Doria.
However, when it came to one of the most important aspects of the holiday season, the late Queen's Christmas greeting, it was stated that they were upset because the family photographs that were on her desk did not include any of the Sussexes.
According to the authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who wrote the book Finding Freedom, the couple feared that the Royal Family was plotting against them with the move. They stated that the couple got the impression that they had been marginalized by the institution for a considerable amount of time and that they were not an essential component of its future.
The authors 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 palace sources insisted that the photographs were selected to illustrate the direct line of succession, according to the authors.
Omid and Carolyn, on the other hand, stated that Prince Harry and Meghan thought that it was yet more indication that they wanted to pursue their own independent route. It was the culmination of weeks of rumors that they were dissatisfied with their life in the palace, and it has also been asserted that an additional photo that was issued to commemorate the year 2020 was another factor that contributed to their choice.
According to Hindustan Times, at the beginning of that year, the late Queen published a breathtaking photograph of herself standing proudly alongside her son, who is now the King Charles, her grandson, Prince William, and her great-grandson, Prince George. The photograph, which was taken in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, was not only a great addition to the family album, but it also provided a clear glimpse into the future of the British Monarchy.
On the other hand, the author Andrew Morton asserts in his unofficial biography, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, that the photograph caused Prince Harry and Meghan to reconsider their standing within The Firm.
He 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."
Business Times has reached out to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comments.
