Charles Broke One Royal Tradition In His Christmas Speech to Avoid Humiliating Harry and Meghan

King Charles continued his great-grandfather’s tradition of delivering a special Christmas speech each year. For his first as King, he made a subtle change in venue—opting to film his speech at Fitzrovia Chapel instead of Buckingham Palace. A royal expert believes the location was strategically chosen to avoid displaying a photo of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the background, helping them save face.

Since Harry and Markle’s exit from the royal fold, Charles has kept mum about their departure. As reported by The Irish Star, Robert Hardman suggests the new location helped prevent critics from analyzing any personal pictures that may be up on Palace walls. As per the Daily Mail, he explained, “The King was speaking from the Palace's Centre Room, which has the advantage of being a functional (though elegant) conference room…Because he was talking standing up, rather than at a desk, there were no photographs on display. In years gone by, royal-watchers would greatly enjoy deciphering the annual placement of the photos on the royal desk.”

The King’s clever decision to change the venue for his Christmas speech can also be attributed to the backlash that followed after one by the late Queen Elizabeth. The Queen had famously excluded a photo of Harry, Markle, and their newborn son Archie in the background of her 2019 Christmas broadcast. As per the Daily Mail, Christopher Anderson in his book Brothers and Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, cited a source who claimed that the Queen "looked over the tables where the photographs she had so lovingly selected were arranged" and had the framed image of the Sussexes removed. She allegedly said, “That one, I suppose we don't need that one.” The move fueled speculation of tensions within the royal family. Those rumors were confirmed when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals a month later in January 2020.

Interestingly, Charles's first Christmas speech also completely ignored another royal member. According to the Daily Express, his speech expressed his pride in the UK's response to the riots and paid homage to the medical staff who helped him and the Princess of Wales during their cancer treatments. While his speech included clips of Prince William and other royal family members, there was no mention of his scandal-ridden brother, Prince Andrew.

According to The Mirror, royal historian Dr. Tessa Dunlop suggested that the King wanted nothing to do with his brother’s association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She told the outlet, “Crucially, also-rans Princes Andrew and Harry were nowhere to be seen. The King has clearly made up his mind about how to 'act for the good of all,' choosing to focus on family strengths, not weaknesses, to shore up a nation (and a world) for a difficult year ahead.” Prince Andrew was also excluded with Harry and Markle in the late Queen’s 2019 Christmas speech.