Prince Harry had 'major rift' with Queen Elizabeth II over Meghan Markle, Archie portrait

American author Christopher Andersen alleged in his new book "Brothers And Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan," that Prince Harry had a major row with Queen Elizabeth II after she moved a portrait of his own family off-camera during her 2019 Christmas address.

The book quoted a source who claimed that the monarch "looked over the tables where the photographs she had so lovingly selected were arranged" and found all to be fine except for one. She reportedly then pointed at the Sussexes' portrait and said, "That one, I suppose we don't need that one."

Her decision reportedly sparked a "major rift" and the Duke of Sussex confided in a friend about it afterward. He told the pal that he "felt as if he, Meghan, and Archie were being erased from the family."

.The British monarch recorded her Christmas address for the public from her desk in Windsor Castle. Per tradition, portraits of the royal family are set on the table. But a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's family is obviously not one of them. Instead, pictures of Prince William and Kate Middleton with their three children are there, including photos of Prince Charles with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Philip's portrait, among others.

Fans even wondered why Queen Elizabeth II did not have a portrait of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Archie, who would have been six-months-old then, on her table. One Twitter user explained that she only features pictures of the families of direct heirs in her Christmas address, which the Duke of Sussex is not.

A representative for Buckingham Palace released a statement in response to Anderson's book, telling Page Six, "We don't comment on books of this kind as to do so risks giving it some form of authority or credibility."

Prince Harry has always been close to his grandmother. But it is said that his separation from the royal family has created tension, not just with Queen Elizabeth II, but also among other members of the royal family.

According to reports, he and Meghan Markle do not even have plans to join the family for Christmas at Sandringham. It is something that the 95-year old is said to be looking forward to especially since it would be the first gathering without Prince Philip and that she needs her family by her side following a series of health scares.

Aside from replying to claims of a rift between Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II, palace aides also refuted allegations that Prince Charles is racist. In his book, Andersen claimed that the Prince of Wales raised concerns about Archie's skin colour over breakfast with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. A spokesperson for Clarence House called his book, which comes out on Tuesday, Nov. 30, "fiction and not worth further comment."