Prince William sent Prince Harry ‘clear message’ with key royal photograph

A photo which Prince Harry was excluded from showed the direction the Royal Family was taking, a royal expert has stated.

Prince William wanted to send Prince Harry a “message” about the future of the monarchy with an official photo snapped of the monarch and her heirs, according to royal historian Robert Lacey.

In December 2019, just weeks before Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals, a picture of the late Queen Elizabeth with her heirs, then-Prince Charles, William and Prince George, was released.

The Times reported at the time that the Sussexes were upset by the photo as they viewed it as a “signal that they were being excluded from royal life”.

Mr Lacey wrote in his book Battle of Brothers (via Us

Weekly) that even though Charles was the one who came up with the idea for the image, William saw how he could use it to his advantage.

The historian explained: “According

Mr Lacey wrote in his book Battle of Brothers (via Us

Weekly) that even though Charles was the one who came up with the idea for the image, William saw how he could use it to his advantage.

The historian explained: “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'”

The official photo taken in December 2019 (Image: Ranald

Mackechnie via Getty Images)

“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, who was not saying anything for the record — but who wanted to send his younger brother a message.”

Now relations between the royal brothers are at rock bottom, with Harry slinging mud at William through shocking claims made in his memoir Spare, including one that the pair had a physical altercation.

Cracks were already beginning to show by the time Harry got engaged to Meghan in 2017, as William feared he was rushing into marriage.

Harry and William pictured together in 2019 (Image:
Getty)

The couple married in May 2018 to a huge royal fanfare, but in June 2019 Harry and Meghan announced they were breaking away from the Royal Foundation, a charity they shared with William and Princess Kate.

In the autumn of 2019 the Sussexes were on a tour in southern Africa, where they also filmed the ITV documentary ‘Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.

During filming Harry was asked about his relationship with William, to which he responded: “Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff 

Screenshot

Harry and Meghan visited South Africa together as working royals (Image: Getty)

He continued: “But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.

“We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.”

Now it seems as if William has cut off Harry completely, as former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told Times Radio: “I think as far as William is concerned, Harry really doesn’t exist.

“William has enough pressure on his heart and his head, with his wife [ Princess of Wales ] and her ongoing cancer treatment, and his father [King Charles], his job and his kids that I don’t think he’s got any room in his soul to worry about his estranged brother… I think William has disowned Harry.”