Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Snub Solidified Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Exit, Book Alleges

11/28/2021 09:33 pm EST

The decision for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to step down as working royals was clearly a complicated one, and a new book alleges that some treatment from the queen was the topping point in that decision. Page Six reports that a new book by Christopher Andersen, Brothers And Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan, will be released on Nov. 30 and it alleges that a particularly cold moment from the queen caused the Sussexes to make the decision to break with the family. According to the book, the queen had a photo of the couple and their son, Archie, moved offscreen during her 2019 holiday broadcast.

The book alleges that the queen "looked over the tables where the photographs she had so lovingly selected were arranged. All were fine but one, [the queen] told the director." She then pointed to the portrait of the Sussexes and said "That one, I suppose we don't need that one." The young family had made the decision to spend Christmas that year with Markle's mother, Doria Raglan, in Canada instead of staying in the U.K. for the holidays.

The photo was noticeably absent during the telecast, which allegedly made Prince William "terribly upset" over the snub against his brother. Apparently the slight caused Harry to tell a friend that he "felt as if he, Meghan and Archie were being erased from the family."

The book also delved into the incident that Markle mentioned in her Interview with Oprah Winfrey that certain senior royals had raised concerns about the skin color of their upcoming baby, the then-unborn Archie. Andersen's source claims the whole issue may have stemmed from Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and father to Harry. "I wonder what the children will look like?" Charles, 73, allegedly told his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. She then is said to have replied, "Well, absolutely gorgeous, I'm certain." Skin tone is said to have entered the conversation afterward, with Charles allegedly saying, "I mean, what do you think their children's complexion might be?"

That conversation is said to have spiraled from there, spreading throughout the royal family and those who work with them. "The question posed by Charles was being echoed in a less innocent way throughout the halls of Buckingham Palace," Andersen wrote. Harry is said to have confronted his father about the speculation, but Charles, who is set to inherit the throne following Queen Elizabeth's reign, dismissed his youngest child as being "overly sensitive about the matter." The author goes on to claim Harry's brother Prince William also dismissed the notion of their father's remark being racist, though he acknowledged it was "tactless."

Disclosure: PopCulture. is owned by Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.