Christmas for the Royal Family is rich in tradition, from their walk to the Christmas Day service at Sandringham to the King’s speech.
However, this year, King Charles decided to do things differently by recording his Christmas address to the nation at Fitzrovia Chapel in London rather than at Buckingham Palace.
With the change in backdrop, viewers were quick to notice another change to the festive message – as there were no photos on display in the background.
Over the years, the monarch’s messages have often sparked discussions about the photos on display, particularly whether they include images of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, reports the Mirror.
The King avoided scrutiny this year by filming in a plain background at the Fitzrovia Chapel, which only featured a Christmas treat in the background.
In an exclusive interview with OK!, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond explained that while this was a “convenient” choice, it isn’t the first time no photos have been displayed.
“I think the choice of the chapel was specifically to relate the King’s message to his gratitude for all that the health service does. But obviously it was convenient that it avoided analysis of any photos in the background,” she explained.
“However neither of his two previous Christmas messages have featured any photos either. So I don’t think anything can be made of this.”
Since stepping back from The Firm in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spent five years living in California with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as well as carving out their own paths by working on causes close to their hearts, with projects such as the Archewell Foundation and Archewell Productions.
Jennie believes that due to this, Prince Harry and Meghan wouldn’t have been “surprised” not to feature at the royals’ festive gathering at Sandringham.
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She said: “Harry and Meghan have chosen a life separate from the rest of the royal family, and as time goes by, I think Harry becomes more and more set on making a happy, settled life in California with his wife and children.
“It may be that he and the King exchanged some form of message at Christmas time, we simply don’t know and it is right that it should remain private. So I don’t think they would have been in the least surprised that they didn’t feature in any way in the celebrations at Sandringham.”
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