10 March 2024 , 05:00
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reconsidered their roles within the royal family after spotting something telling on the late Queen's desk, according to two royal authors.
The couple announced their decision to quit royal in January 2020, after months of tension and upset behind the scenes.
In their biography, Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed they felt sidelined and believed the charity work of other royals - including William and Kate - was being prioritised over theirs.
And the authors also claim that it was the Queen's photo display on her desk for her Christmas Speech which made them evaluate their position in The Firm.
As the late monarch delivered her annual message from Buckingham Palace, she arranged four family snaps on her desk.
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They included the Wales family, Prince Philip, Charles, Camilla and the Queen's father - but the Sussexes were nowhere to be seen.
The couple were upset after seeing the Queen's display of photographs during her Christmas speech"Harry felt as though he and Meghan had long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future," one passage from the book notes.
"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 Cambridges and their children, Charles and Camilla, Prince Philip and a black and white image of the sovereign's father, King George VI. Noticeably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan and their new baby, Archie.
"Palace sources insisted that the photos were chosen to represent the direct line of succession, but for Harry and Meghan, it was yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path."
The Mirror's royal expert Russell Myers also claimed the couple were upset by the photographs. Speaking to Channel 5's Meghan and Harry: The New Revelations, he explains: "The lack of photograph of them during the Queen's Christmas speech obviously had an effect on them."
And royal expert Katie Nicholl told the documentary: "What I think was trying to be demonstrated in that message was the future of the monarchy, the future heirs and the future sovereigns. Harry and Harry's son are not there. They don't have that place on the table."
Just weeks after the speech aired, Meghan and Harry shocked the world when they released a statement on Instagram revealing they were quitting.
They said they had spent months thinking about the decision, but that they hoped to continue to support the Queen.