The relationship between King Charles and his youngest son, Prince Harry, has been strained in recent years, but the monarch has a touching image of his daughter-in-law, Meghan Markle, on display at his London home.
The Queen invited children, supported by the organisations Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children's Charity, to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House on Thursday, and the framed photograph could be seen on a table in the background.
The black and white shot shows the then Prince Charles arm-in-arm with blushing bride Meghan on her wedding day to Prince Harry at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 19 May 2018.
When Meghan's estranged father, Thomas Markle, was unable to attend his daughter's nuptials after suffering a heart attack, Charles stepped in to accompany his daughter-in-law halfway down the aisle.
While it hasn't always been visible, reports that the photograph was included among the personal ones on display first surfaced in 2020.
© GettyThe snap of Charles and Meghan is placed next to an official portrait taken at Prince Louis's christening the same year, with the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posing with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and a baby Prince Louis, as well as Charles and Camilla, and Harry and Meghan.
Paying tribute to his father in the 2017 BBC documentary, Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, Harry spoke about the moment he asked Charles to walk his future wife down the aisle: "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."
© GettyThe Sussexes also spoke about Charles's role at their wedding in their Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, released in 2022, which documented their departure from the royal family in 2020.
"My father helped us choose an orchestra, which made all the difference," Harry explained alongside clips of the orchestra serenading Meghan as she walked down the aisle.
Meghan added: "Harry's dad is very charming and I said to him 'I've lost my dad in this,' so him as my father-in-law is very important to me."
The King and Prince Harry were reunited for the first time in 19 months during a 55-minute meeting at Clarence House when the Duke returned to the UK in September.
