Royal Family's 'brutal' New Year photo was 'designed to send ...

Prince William reportedly sent a "clear" message to Prince Harry with a photo of his son Prince George, according to a Royal author.

Every Christmas, the Royal Family shares cute family photos to thank their fans and celebrate the festive season and in recent years, the Royal children have often been the stars of these official festive portraits. Whenever the public gets a glimpse of how quickly George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie, and Lilibet are growing up, it's always well received.

However, a portrait released at New Year a few years ago allegedly caused some upset within the family itself, a Royal author has claimed. The expert even suggested that the picture was intended to send a message.

The photo, released in late December 2019, shows the late Queen Elizabeth, King Charles - then Prince of Wales - alongside Prince William and Prince George. The image, featuring only the three future kings, reportedly sparked internal controversy.

According to the writer, Charles and William intended the photo to send a message to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, reports the Mirror. In his book Battle of Brothers, Royal author Robert Lacey suggests the photo was Charles' idea as he wanted to show his long-held ambition of a "slimmed down' monarchy".

In a piece for the Daily Mail, he shared: "What a fascinating and historic image to remind us of the essence of the Royal system! The current monarch with three future monarchs. All the living heirs - and not a suggestion of a 'spare'."

The snap shows the four royals in Buckingham Palace's Throne Room, with George and Charles standing on a step next to William and the Queen. They were all smartly dressed, with George looking super grown up in a white shirt and tartan trousers.

This photo came along with a cute video of them making Christmas puddings, where little George was seen helping with the stirring, released a few weeks earlier. Harry and his son Archie were missing from the picture - as they are much further down the line of succession.

Lacey revealed: "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'.

"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, which might be seen as sending his younger brother a message."

Lacey suggests that Meghan and Harry took this photo "to heart" and were upset by it. Most Royal experts believe this decision probably wasn't meant to upset the Sussexes, but it simply shows how the Royal family works.

Earlier this year, ITV's Royal editor Chris Ship said: "The portrait that Buckingham Palace released to mark the start of the decade. It was the Queen and the three future kings - and there was also a bit of video of them stirring Christmas puddings.

"I'm not saying they were cutting Harry and Meghan out because it was a brutal fact that Harry was never part of that line of succession but start of a decade it felt like the Royal family was very much focusing on the future - the Queen and her three heirs. ".

Kensington Palace has been contacted for comment.

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