Every Christmas the Royal Family treat their fans to adorable family photos to thank people for their support and to celebrate the festive season.
In recent years, the royal children have often stolen the show with these official festive portraits, and whenever the public gets to see snippets of how much George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie, and Lilibet are all growing up so quickly, it’s always received well. But one such portrait released at New Year a few years ago reportedly caused some upset within the family itself, a royal author has claimed – and the expert even went as far as stating that the picture was designed to send a message.
The photo was released in late December 2019, and depicted the late Queen Elizabeth, King Charles – then Prince of Wales – alongside Prince William and Prince George. Showing, at the time, only the three future kings – the snap reportely caused internal controversy. It was intended – at least by Charles and William – to send a message to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, accoprding to the authour.
In his book Battle of Brothers, royal author Robert Lacey claims the photo was Charles’s idea as he wanted to show his long-held ambition of a “slimmed down’ monarchy”. Writing for the Daily Mail, he says: “What a fascinating and historic image to remind us of the essence of the royal system! The current monarch with three future monarchs. All the living heirs — and not a suggestion of a ‘spare’.
The photo shows the Queen with her three heirs ( Image: PA)
The four royals are seen standing in Buckingham Palace’s Throne Room, with George and Charles standing on a step next to William and the Queen. They were all dressed smartly, with George looking adorably grown up in a white shirt and a pair of tartan trousers. It accompanied a sweet video of them making Christmas puddings, with the youngest future king getting involved with the stirring, released a few weeks earlier. Harry and his son Archie were nowhere to be seen – as they are much further down the line of succession.
Lacey said: “According to insiders, this formal photograph, taken in the Buckingham Palace Throne Room a week before Christmas 2019, was the idea of Prince Charles, anxious to promote his cause of the ‘slimmed-down monarchy’. “Palace sources have also let it be known that the plan of depicting the direct line of royal succession was enthusiastically supported by Prince William, which might be seen as sending his younger brother a message.”
According to Lacey, Meghan and Harry took this photo “to heart” and were upset by it. Most royal experts have claimed this decision probably wasn’t meant to upset the Sussexes, but it simply shows how the royal family works. Speaking earlier this year, ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship said: “The portrait that Buckingham Palace released to mark the start of the decade. It was the Queen and the three future kings – and there was also a bit of video of them stirring Christmas puddings. “I’m not saying they were cutting Harry and Meghan out because it was a brutal fact that Harry was never part of that line of succession but start of a decade it felt like the royal family was very much focusing on the future – the Queen and her three heirs.” Kensington Palace has been contacted for comment.
