In January 2020, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced they were leaving Royal life. The announcement came shortly after Buckingham Palace had posted a clip of the late Queen Elizabeth with her grandson, Prince George. It has now been claimed that the Royal Family video was the “last straw” in Harry's decision to step down.
The video, posted on official social media accounts, showed the Queen with her three heirs, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George, at the palace on Christmas Eve.
George was seen excitedly stirring a Christmas pudding. The late monarch recorded her annual Christmas TV address hours later. Royal Family commentator Daniela Elser wrote on news.com.au that, during the TV appearance, the late Queen’s desk featured photos of William and Kate, their children, Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince Philip and George VI.
“Ten points for anyone who can guess what – or who – was missing,” Elser added.
Elser refers to Christopher Andersen's book Brothers And Wives. It is claimed in the book that the decision to remove Harry and Meghan from the tableau was made at the last minute.
Andersen explains that, just before filming, the Queen reviewed the photos she had chosen. She pointed to a picture of Harry, Meghan and their 8-month-old son Archie. She told the director, "That one. I suppose we don't need that one."
Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, in their book Finding Freedom, noted that the incident signalled to Harry and Meghan that they needed to consider their own path.
Then, in January 2020, Buckingham Palace released an official photo, showing the late monarch and her three direct heirs posing for the camera: Charles, William and George. There was no Harry that time either.
“The pudding video, the Christmas address, the new portrait. 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,” Elser added.
