A family video shared by the royals reportedly became the tipping point for Prince Harry, solidifying his decision to depart from the royal family.
In January 2020, the Spare author, 39, and his wife Meghan Markle (who share son Archie, 4, and daughter Lilibet, 3) declared they were stepping down from their roles as senior working royals.
This announcement came just weeks after Buckingham Palace posted a heartwarming clip of the late Queen Elizabeth II with her great-grandson, Prince George, the son of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
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Comments Made By Queen Elizabeth About Prince Harry's Family Allegedly Sparked His Decision To Step Down
The video, shared on the royal family's official social media channels, depicted the Queen alongside her three heirs—Prince George, now 11, Prince William, 42, and then-Prince Charles—gathered at the palace on Christmas Eve, with young George eagerly stirring a Christmas pudding.
Later that day, the late monarch recorded her annual Christmas TV address. Notably, in the background of the broadcast, photographs were displayed featuring the Queen with William and Kate, 42, but none included Harry and Meghan.
According to royal writer Daniela Elser of news.com.au, the omission of the Sussexes from the scene was a last-minute decision, as detailed in Christopher Andersen's book, Brothers And Wives.
Andersen recounts that just before the Queen was set to begin filming, she reviewed the table of carefully selected photographs and remarked, "That one," referring to a specific image. Surveying the collection of past and future monarchs and their families, she is said to have concluded, "I suppose we don't need that one."
In their book Finding Freedom, royal commentators Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand also observed that the video served as a further indication for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that it was time to contemplate forging their own journey. "For Harry and Meghan, [the video] was yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path," they wrote.
Elser also noted: "The message coming out of the SW1 postcode crystal clear: Harry did not matter, all of these instances dangerously pointed reminders of his hierarchical irrelevance. The takeaway: The Sussexes were unneeded, peripheral, secondary."
Now years later, Harry and Meghan's connection with the royal family has nearly disintegrated, according to sources, apparently leaving them with just a tenuous bond to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The situation reportedly took a significant downturn after the airing of their 2021 Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
On the show, Harry revealed the deterioration of his relationship with his brother, William, recounting a harrowing incident where the Prince of Wales' alleged yelling and shouting during the Sandringham summit left Harry feeling terrified.
The former royal also claimed that members of Kensington Palace had then "lied to protect my brother." Royal commentator Michael Cole asserted that the sole source of royal support for Meghan and Harry comes from Prince Andrew's daughters.
As he recently dished to GB News: "We have a situation where Meghan is hardly on speaking terms with any member of her family apart from her mother and one niece. Prince Harry is not on speaking terms with any member of the royal family apart from Prince Andrew's daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie."
