Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Fled the Royal Family After a 'Photo Snub'

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left the royal fold in 2020, and one royal expert believes the pair fled the U.K. after being snubbed in a family photo.

In January of that year, Queen Elizabeth took a snapshot with her three heirs, King Charles, Prince William and Prince George, but the Sussexes were noticeably absent.

“The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them," Andrew Morton wrote in Meghan: A Hollywood Princess. "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."

“Harry was having conversations in a London hotel with Oprah Winfrey back in November 2018, just six months after they'd been married," Morton added. "So they were thinking about a different direction of travel pretty early on."

After the release of Spare, the Duke of Sussex's rift with the Windsors worsened. OK! previously reported royal expert Jennie Bond claimed William won't include Harry going forward.

“He is definitely someone who commands respect within the family and whose views hold considerable sway,” Bond stated.

“Obviously, as heir to the throne, his word carries a lot of weight in the family and I think it’s true that he has been prepared to take a tough stand on a number of issues, including [Princes] Andrew and Harry," she added.

Royal commentator Hilary Fordwich alleged the Prince of Wales plans to exclude Harry from The Firm altogether.

"It is widely known within the family that Prince William has laid down an absolute ban on Harry returning in any way, shape or form into his former royal family fold," Fordwich told an outlet.

While promoting his memoir, Harry admitted he "wants a family, not an institution," but his public complaints about the royals drove a wedge between them.

"If anyone will relent, it would be King Charles III, whom, of course, Prince William won’t challenge, who still misses his ‘darling boy’ and would like to see more of Prince Harry," Fordwich stated. "However, to this day, after the release of Spare and the Netflix serial, as well as with everything else Harry has said, done, and not done, it’s Prince William who adamantly refuses to even speak to his brother."

William and Harry haven't been photographed in the same room since King Charles' 2023 coronation, and some royal watchers believe they're not speaking.

"Prince William is the most unlikely royal to ever forgive Harry for all his despicable indiscretions," Fordwich continued. "He is now very much seen and accepted as the family enforcer, taking on the hard-line ruler role of his grandfather, Prince Philip."

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