King Charles’ decision to move the Christmas speech away from Buckingham Palace has avoided questions being asked about his relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, an expert has claimed.
The King’s Speech was year recorded in Fitzrovia Chapel in central London this year, the first time in more than a decade that the annual Christmas broadcast hasn’t been recorded at Buckingham Palace or a royal estate.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman believes the move away from a royal setting means the King won’t have to deal with microanalysis of the setting. Royal watchers often comment and critique the portraits and pictures shown in the speech.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was criticised for asking for “generosity and sacrifice” while sitting in front of a “gold” piano. The instrument was gilded in the 19th century by Queen Victoria.
And the selection of royal portraits on desks during the speech has often sparked discussion, particularly when Harry and Meghan’s weren’t visible.
In the Daily Mail, Hardman wrote: “There can also be some advantages in moving the recording away from home. In 2018, the Queen came under attack on social media for asking for ‘generosity and self-sacrifice’ during an address recorded from the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace.
“Anti-monarchists grumbled that she was speaking in front of a ‘gold piano’, a gilded 19th-century piece commissioned for Queen Victoria. By avoiding a royal desk or sitting room, the King has also avoided any micro -analysis of whichever royal photographs and portraits are in shot, and thus hinting at who is (or is not) in royal favour. The Fitzrovia Chapel reveals nothing more tantalising than a Christmas tree decorated with ‘sustainable’ decorations.”
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The King’s relationship with his youngest son has reportedly faced challenges since Harry and Meghan quit life as working royals and subsequently the UK. According to Express.co.uk, the King is said to fear Harry could use any conversations between them against him in his legal battle against the Home Office.
The King is also said to have been “furious” when Harry called Queen Camilla “the Other Woman” and a “wicked stepmother” in his 2023 memoir Spare. An insider told The Mirror: “It was the last straw.
“Harry was well aware how Camilla would be a red line for his father and he crossed with flagrant disregard anyway. The King felt without a doubt it crossed a line – it was the ultimate act of disrespect.”
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