Meghan and Harry were said to be upset by a photo featuring Prince George(Image: Netflix)Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s fractured relationship with the royal family now seems broken beyond repair – with the Duke claiming that his father the King no longer speaks to him. Issues between the Sussexes and the royals can be traced back to the time they decided to quit royal life.
And it was a sweet snapshot of Prince George that proved to be a ‘wake up call’ for Harry and Meghan, and cemented their decision to leave the Firm, an expert has claimed. The image in question showed the late Queen with 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.
The image in question was released in January 2020 showing the then line of succession – Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George – with the late Queen(Image: PA)It was released at the beginning of 2020, days before Harry and Meghan first confirmed they planned to step down as working royals. On the face of it, the picture simply showcased the future of the monarchy and mirrored many historic portraits. But it is alleged to have caused upset behind the scenes.
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 revealed that Harry and Meghan had started to think about leaving The Firm far earlier than the public thought, and said talks began 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.”
Prince Harry sat down with the BBC in a shocking interview and said the King would not talk to him(Image: BBC)It comes after Prince Harry came under fire this week after giving an interview to BBC News, shortly after a judge dismissed his legal challenge concerning his reduced security after stepping back as a working member of the royal family in 2020. Prince Harry said in the new interview, “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 continued, referencing King Charles. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
Harry further claimed his security issues “could be resolved” through King Charles. “There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands,” he said. “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.”
The palace has consistently denied that the King has the power to have Harry’s security reinstated. In response, one source told the Sunday Telegraph that it showed 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”.
And another 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.”
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