A photograph of Prince George proved to be a 'wake up call' for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, cementing their resolve to leave the royal family, according to an expert.
The image depicted the late Queen alongside her three heirs – the then-Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George, who was six at the time – in the throne room at Buckingham Palace. It was released in early 2020, just days before Harry and Meghan first announced their intention to step down as working royals.
Expert reveals behind-the-scenes upset
On the surface, the photograph highlighted the future of the monarchy, but it is alleged to have caused considerable upset behind closed doors. In his book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew Morton 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.'
Speaking to The Mirror's podcast Pod Save The King, Morton further disclosed that Harry and Meghan had begun contemplating their departure from the Firm considerably earlier than assumed, revealing that discussions commenced just six months after their wedding. He said: 'Harry was having conversations in a London hotel with Oprah Winfrey back in November 2018, just six months after they'd been married. So they were thinking about a different direction of travel pretty early on.'
Harry's recent interview and family tensions
This follows Prince Harry facing fierce criticism this week after giving an interview to BBC News, shortly after a judge dismissed his legal challenge regarding his reduced security following his decision to step back as a working member of the royal family in 2020. Prince Harry said: 'I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has. He won't speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.'
Harry went on to claim his security concerns 'could be resolved' through King Charles. 'There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.'
Palace and insider responses
Buckingham Palace has repeatedly insisted that the King does not have the authority to restore Harry's security arrangements. In response, one source told the Sunday Telegraph that it demonstrated there is 'nothing that can be trusted to remain private' and 'as for their being no contact, well, he has just proven why, yet again'.
A further insider told ITV News: 'For a son who claims to want a family reconciliation, it's certainly a very curious way to build bridges or offer olive branches. His beloved grandmother would have been truly horrified. The King is a kind man with a warm heart and quite enough on his plate to deal with, without all this from his son.'
