Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left 'fuming' over brutal Christmas 'snub'
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last celebrated the festive season as part of the Royal Family, they were reportedly left 'furious' over a snub by the late Queen Elizabeth in her annual address. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven't spent Christmas with the Firm since 2018 after they famously stepped down from their royal duties in January 2020.However, it's said to have been one particular moment which was the "final straw" for them just weeks before they announced their departure. In 2019, Harry and Meghan spent the festive period in Canada with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland during an extended break from royal duties before they announced their exit, the Mirror reports.The Sussexes' were allegedly 'tipped over the edge' during the late Queen Elizabeth's Christmas broadcast. As the former monarch addressed viewers, family portraits were clearly visible on her desk but one was missing as there was no picture of Meghan and Harry with their then-newborn son.In the book Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the authors claimed the Sussexes believed the Royal Family were "conspiring against them" with the noticeable move. They added that the couple felt they had "long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future".They 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 authors explained the palace’s reasoning behind the snub, as royal sources insisted the photographs were selected to represent the "direct line of succession".However, Omid and Carolyn said Harry and Meghan felt it was "yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path."The royal couple also missed the Queen's pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace during the 2019 Christmas period.This was in addition to not being present for the traditional Royal Family gathering at the monarch's private Sandringham estate on Christmas Day.It was only the second time Prince Harry had missed spending Christmas Day with his immediate family with the first being while he was on a tour of Afghanistan while in the Army in 2012.Just weeks later, the couple decided to step down from life as senior royals.They relocated to the States, where they still reside today in Montecito with their kids, Archie and Lilibet.A year later, the couple sat down with Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview in 2021 where they opened up about their reasons for quitting royal life, while also hurling damning revelations and accusations at the Royal Family.Since then, the relationship between the Sussexes and the Firm have been further damaged through their bombshell Netflix docuseries in 2022, followed by Harry's tell all memoir Spare in 2023.Harry is believed to not be on regular speaking terms with his father King Charles nor his brother, Prince William.
