Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly left “furious” by a decision made by the Palace just weeks before they quit life as senior royals in 2020.

Although at the time they were members of the Royal Family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to spend Christmas of 2019 abroad with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, rather than at Sandringham, the place where royals traditionally gather for the festive season.

While this was their own choice, it was during this time that one decision made by the Palace regarding the late Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas speech ended up being the “final straw” for the couple when it came to their future in the Firm.

In the late Queen’s Christmas message, broadcast on Christmas Day, family portraits were shown on Her Majesty’s desk, however no picture of Meghan and Harry with their then-newborn son Prince Archie was displayed.

In the book Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed the couple believed the Royal Family were “conspiring against them” and felt they had “long been sidelined by the institution” as a result of this.

According to The Irish Mirror, the authors also said palace sources insisted the photos were chosen to represent the “direct line of succession”, with some of the photographs showing the now King Charles and Queen Camilla, and Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children.

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