Buckingham Palace's brutal snub to Prince Harry in controversial royal Christmas photo

Prince Harry was brutally snubbed by his own father, Prince Charles, and brother, Prince William in a contentious photo released for Christmas last year.

The photo showcased Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George as direct heirs to the British throne, with Harry nowhere in sight, even though he was still an eminent part of the royal family back then.

At the time, The Times reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were upset about the photo, and saw it as a "signal that they were being excluded from royal life."

Divulging details about the same, new book Battle of Brothers penned by royal historian Robert Lacey, states that while the idea of the photo belonged to Prince Charles, William wanted to use it to "send a message" to Harry.

“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,'" said Lacey.

"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, who was not saying anything for the record—but who wanted to send his younger brother a message," he added.