Queen Elizabeth II did not display any photos of the Sussexes during the speech

rince Harry and Meghan Markle were seemingly snubbed in one of Queen Elizabeth II’s annual Christmas Day broadcasts.

At the time, Harry and Meghan had recently welcomed their first child, Archie. They were spending the festive season privately in Canada with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.

But back in the UK, as millions tuned in to watch the queen’s Christmas Day message, eagle-eyed viewers noticed something, or rather, someone missing.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly felt “sidelined” after their photo was absent from the late queen’s Christmas Day speech (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘snubbed’ by Queen Elizabeth II in Christmas Day speech

As the late queen delivered her speech from the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, her desk was decorated with carefully arranged family photographs.

There were framed images of Prince William and Kate with their children, King Charles and Camilla, Prince Philip, and even a vintage black-and-white portrait of her father, King George VI.

But notably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan, and baby Archie, who was born in May 2019.

In the book Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed that the omission did not go unnoticed by the Sussexes. Apparently, the moment was described as a “final straw”.

Noticeably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan, and their new baby, Archie.

“One didn’t have to look further than the family photos displayed during the Queen’s Speech,” the authors wrote, as reported by The Mirror. “Noticeably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan, and their new baby, Archie.”

The authors claimed that Harry and Meghan felt it was “yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path”.

The palace reportedly insisted that the photographs were chosen to reflect the direct line of succession to the throne. However, this explanation did little to ease the emotional impact on the couple it seems.

Queen Elizabeth II did not display any photos of the Sussexes (Credit: The Royal Family via YouTube)

Harry and Meghan’s exit from royal life

That same Christmas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not attend the Queen’s pre-Christmas lunch. They also did not join the rest of the royal family at Sandringham on Christmas Day.

Instead, they spent the holidays abroad. Their absence marked the second time Harry had missed a royal Christmas. The first was during his Army deployment to Afghanistan in 2012.

Weeks later, in January 2020, the couple announced their decision to step back as senior royals. It was the beginning of what would become an ever-widening divide between the Sussexes and the rest of the Firm.

In the years since, the reported rift between Prince Harry, Meghan, and the royal family has only deepened.

Their explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey included allegations about their experience in the monarchy. The release of their Netflix docuseries in 2022, followed by Harry’s best-selling memoir Spare in 2023, added further fuel to the fire. All the projects contained some damning claims about the royal family.

The duke and duchess now live in California with their two children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four. They are not expected to join the royal family for Christmas this year.