You’ll Never Believe Whose Picture King Charles Has Prominently Displayed in His Home

Let’s face it, when you’re the king, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to picking photos for your personal hall of fame. From meeting world leaders to shaking hands with superstars, you have no shortage of keeper memories. And that’s before the family snaps. So the photos that make it into fancy frames and get displayed at the royal estates reveal a lot—especially when you consider that guests and the world’s media are likely to spot them.

That’s exactly what happened when photos of a recent royal Christmas party were released. Eagle-eyed fans noticed a picture in the background featuring a certain family member the public wouldn’t expect to see prominently displayed in a royal residence. Who was it, and what does it mean? Read on for the details.

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Where did we get a glimpse of this surprising picture?

The photo is part of the decor at Clarence House, the London base of King Charles and Queen Camilla, who reside in the comfortable five-bedroom home instead of the vast (and nearby) Buckingham Palace, which is still undergoing renovation. They have lived there since 2003, so the house is full of their personal memorabilia. The monarchs tend to spend the workweek there before heading to their other properties, such as Highgrove, for the weekend.

So how do we know which photos deck the royal halls? They appeared in the background of images snapped on Dec. 11 at Camilla’s Christmas tea party for sick and terminally ill children, an annual event hosted in conjunction with Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, both of which the queen is patron. Now in its 20th year, the event welcomed children to Clarence House in London for a tea party, a meet-and-greet with Santa and his reindeer, and a chance to help the queen decorate a Christmas tree.

Naturally, photographers were on site to capture the party, including a sweet moment between Santa and one of the children. When the snapshot went public, fans spotted something interesting in the background: an ornate side table displaying a collection of framed family portraits, including a photo of a surprising family member.

Who was in the picture?

It was Meghan! Just when they thought the relationship between the king and Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was irreparable, royal watchers are reeling from seeing the picture displayed prominently at the front of the table.

The black-and-white photo captured a heartfelt moment from 2018: when the king walked Meghan down the aisle of St George’s Chapel at her and Harry’s wedding. Her estranged father, Thomas Markle, had a heart attack and wasn’t able to attend, so Charles filled the role. “I asked him to, and I think he knew it was coming, and he immediately said, ‘Yes, of course. I’ll do whatever Meghan needs, and I’m here to support you.’ For him, that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support, and you know, he’s our father, so of course, he’s going to be there for us,” Harry said in the 2018 BBC documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70.

“Harry’s dad is very charming, and I said to him, ‘I’ve lost my dad in this,’ so [he], as my father-in-law, is very important to me,” Meghan said in the 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan.

Is this image a new addition to Clarence House’s decor?

Nope, the photo has been there for years. Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand even referenced it in their 2020 royal biography, Finding Freedom. The duo wrote that Charles has a “framed black-and-white photo of himself escorting his daughter-in-law at his Clarence House residence.”

The image, which appears in a silver-edged frame, sits slightly in front of another family photo—of Prince Louis’s 2018 christening—which also features Meghan and Harry, who stand next to the king, behind Prince William and Princess Kate.

Why does this single image matter so much? Despite the strained relationship between the king and the Sussexes, the image remains. What’s more, it’s been styled to sit at the front of a collection of photos, and visiting media have been allowed to capture it.

What is the current state of Charles and Meghan’s relationship?

Strained. We’d be lying if we said the pair were close—Meghan was last in the U.K. in September 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. That means the king has not had many opportunities to bond with Meghan or his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet. But the very public inclusion of this photograph does suggest that Meghan, Harry and the kids are still valued members of the family.

Does this picture mean a reconciliation might be on the horizon?

Possibly. At the very least, it might indicate a thawing, especially since it comes a couple of months after the news that the king displays framed photographs of Harry and Meghan at his official Northern Irish residence, Hillsborough Castle. According to the Mirror, there are photographs of Harry and Meghan’s engagement, as well as a family photo of the pair with Charles, Camilla, William and Kate, taken for the king’s 70th birthday.

And insiders are hopeful there may be the first signs of reconciliation. “There have been so many disagreements, differences,” Harry told the BBC. “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious.”

To that end, when Harry visited his father in September, it’s reported that he handed over another special framed photograph, most likely of his children. “For the sake of clarity, we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over. However, the image did not contain the duke and duchess,” a Sussex spokesperson told the BBC.

Do Meghan and Harry plan on visiting the U.K. anytime soon?

It looks a lot more likely than it used to, that’s for sure. There’s a possibility they might visit in 2026, thanks to a new development with Harry’s security. The British government has agreed to review security concerns for the prince and his family. If the government agrees to provide security, Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet could return to the U.K. for the first time together since the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

Speaking about whether he would take his children home, Harry told the Guardian in September, “Yes, I would. This week has definitely brought that closer. I have always loved the U.K., and I always will love the U.K.”

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Sources:

• The Royal Household: “The Queen invites children to decorate the Clarence House Christmas tree”
• BBC: “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70”
• Netflix: “Harry & Meghan”
• Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand
• The Mirror: “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle offered sweet olive branch by King Charles”
• BBC News: “Prince Harry tells BBC he wants ‘reconciliation’ with Royal Family”
• BBC: “Harry suggests people trying to sabotage reconciliation with King”
• The Guardian: “‘My conscience is clear’: Prince Harry on Ukraine, his family and the media”