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Within 24 hours of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle flew back to California. But it’s clear that they were still watching every move the royal family made from afar and according to one expert, their actions have shown that they can now be seen as “rivals” to the new monarch, King Charles III, and other senior royals.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, King Charles III, and Camilla Parker Bowles observe Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as it is transferred from the gun carriage to the hearse
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, King Charles III, and Camilla Parker Bowles observe Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it is transferred from the gun carriage | Andy Stenning – WPA Pool/Getty Images to the hearse |

Meghan and Harry’s photo released soon after ‘Their Majesties’ portrait

On Oct. 1, the Palace released an official portrait of King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla (formerly Camilla Parker Bowles), Prince William, and the Princess of Wales (formerly Kate Middleton) standing side by side.

The picture of the four most senior royals was taken on Sept. 18 prior to the Heads of State reception at Buckingham Palace which included U.S. President Joe Biden and French leader Emmanuel Macron. In it, they are smiling brightly and some fans began calling them the new “Fab Four.”

It seems like that didn’t sit well with Meghan and Harry because soon after a photo of the Sussexes attending a function while they were in the U.K. was shared publicly.

Sussexes’ wanted to ‘rival’ monarchy portrait

Many find it hard to believe there was any coincidence in the timing of the duke and duchess’s photo being released right after the portrait of “Their Majesties.”

Professor Pauline Maclaran of Royal Holloway, University of London, agreed that it appears to be calculated a move by Meghan and Harry. She noted that the “distance” between the pair and the other royals seems to be growing and the Sussexes can now be viewed as “rivals” to the monarchy in their attempt to outshine them.

“Meghan and Harry’s involvement with the queen’s funeral has emphasized their distance from the royal family, even while the royals were trying to convey unity,” Professor Maclaran told Express. “Overall, [the Sussexes] were very much on the sidelines and they disappeared quickly after it. Now, they have just issued their photos from the trip to the U.K. that preceded the funeral and it’s hard not to see these photos as rivals to those just issued by Charles.”

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Reaction to the photos

Reactions to the photos differ depending on who you ask.

Royal expert and Daily Mail Diary editor Richard Kay thinks that the portrait of the four senior royals was sending a message to Meghan and Harry that there is “no way back” for them now. He opined: “It surely can be no coincidence that the picture was taken when the couple [was] still in Britain and several days before they returned home to their children Archie and Lilibet. It must, therefore, be yet another signal that they will never again return to their central role in royal life.”

However, following the release of the Sussexes’ photo, journalist Jane Moore said that she believes Meghan was sending her own message to the royal family.

In a piece for The Sun Moore wrote: “Given the backdrop of recent weeks and what’s to come, it could also be construed as a message to Harry’s family that not only do the Sussexes stand strong as an insular unit, but Meghan’s still the one calling the shots.”

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