Apparently this was the final straw that convinced Harry and Meghan to step down as senior Royals

Interesting.

Harry, Meghan and the Queen: Members Of The Royal Family Attend Events To Mark The Centenary Of The RAF
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Interesting.

In Royal news this week, a new claim has surfaced about the final reason as to why Harry and Meghan decided to leave the Royal family and step down as senior Royal family members.

In Brothers And Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William Kate, Harry and Meghan, a new book about the Royals, the author, Christopher Andersen, claims that it was in fact the Queen's actions that tipped them over the edge and finalised their decision to move to California.

Apparently in 2019, prior to recording her annual festive broadcast, which airs every year on Christmas day, she instructed an assistant to move a photo of Harry and Meghan out of shot.

Which exact photo it was is unknown, but it is claimed that only Meghan and Harry were in the image. It is believed the photo was on a desk alongside other framed photos of Royals including William and Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Queen's father George VI, and the Duke of Edinburgh, too.

All of theirs remained in the frame but Harry's and Meghan's did not.

Apparently, the Queen instructed an assistant to remove the image by saying: "That one, I suppose we don’t need that one.”

It's thought that HM decided to remove the image from the frame as the pair had snubbed her previously, choosing to spend the festive period with Meghan's mum, Doria Ragland, instead.

Shortly after this, Harry and Meghan made their final decision to step down as senior Royal family members.

This comes at the same time as a two-part documentary titled Princes and the Press has gone into detail about the supposedly strained relationship between brothers Prince William and Prince Harry.

It's thought that the Royal family aren't happy to not have been given right to review the show, even issuing a rare joint statement saying as much and threatening not to work with the BBC in future.

The second episode of the documentary has made claims that certain members of the Royal family, including Prince William, "planted" stories in the press about Harry struggling with his mental health.

Ally Head
Senior Health, Sustainability and Relationships Editor

Ally Head is Marie Claire UK's Senior Health, Sustainability, and Relationships Editor, nine-time marathoner, and Boston Qualifying runner. Day-to-day, she works across site strategy, features, and e-commerce, reporting on the latest health updates, writing the must-read health and wellness content, and rounding up the genuinely sustainable and squat-proof gym leggings worth *adding to basket*. She's won a BSME for her sustainability work, regularly hosts panels and presents for events like the Sustainability Awards, and saw nine million total impressions on the January 2023 Wellness Issue she oversaw. Follow Ally on Instagram for more or get in touch.