Behind the Scenes Drama: Royal Family's 2018 Portrait Was an 'Absolute Nightmare'

Royal biographer Omid Scobie revealed in the book Finding Freedom the tension behind the royal family's 2018 portrait. The sweet snapshot captured Prince Harry, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Queen Camilla, King Charles and the Wales children all seemingly enjoying a laugh.

In the biography, Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote about the picture and how the princes struggled to prioritize Charles.

The royal experts claimed the brothers “can be hot and cold with their father.”

“Neither William nor Harry made much of an effort to make themselves available," they penned.

The duo later stated that organizing the gathering became an "absolute nightmare."

Scheduling the photo might've foreshadowed Meghan and Harry's future within the monarchy. OK! previously reported William and Harry's relationship was greatly impacted by the release of Spare and the duke's various tell-all projects.

William and Harry's connection "has not improved since the publication of Spare and there is no reconciliation expected anytime soon," a source said.

"There is no real trust at the moment and that needs to be rebuilt," the insider told an outlet. "There's a great deal of hurt on both sides."

Charles' friend explained that the monarch was also saddened by Harry's actions.

"While Charles loves his younger son, the relationship is still complicated. Father and son do not communicate regularly and that will take some time to heal," the source disclosed. "The relationship with the rest of the family also remains frayed after Harry's book and the Sussex's Netflix series."

"The King would like to see his grandchildren Archie and Lili as would the rest of the royal family. For now, at least, that seems to be a long way off," they noted.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl updated an outlet on the status of Harry and William's bromance.

"Everyone wants to see a repair in the rift because it doesn't do anyone any good to have this rift in the heart of the House of Windsor," Nicholl shared. "I spoke to aides, past and present — including one senior aid who worked with the brothers for a good 10 years, who knows them both and still speaks to them both."

"And he was surprisingly confident that there could be a rapprochement," she added.

Nicholl divulged that the Prince of Wales was offended by the way Harry depicted him in Spare.

"But that will be some time down the line," Nicholl continued. "And that comes down to the fact that William simply cannot forgive Harry. Not just for leaving, but for how he left."

According to Nicholl, Harry's perception of his relatives was greatly molded by his place within the line of succession.

"Harry, being the spare, was always going to be [William's] sort of deputy and that was very much part of Charles' vision, you know? The image that we always go back to is the image we saw a couple of days ago — of the King, Camilla, William, and Kate — Charles has always envisioned Harry and Meghan being a part of that, as had the queen," Nicholl concluded.