King Charles keeps Meghan close to heart, one telling photograph reveals

King Charles doesn’t often show his emotions publicly, but a certain photograph spotted inside Clarence House suggests the monarch keeps family closer than the headlines might imply.

During a festive visit on Thursday where children from Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity helped decorate the Clarence House Christmas tree, royal watchers caught sight of a rather touching detail.

In the background, perched on a side table, was a framed black-and-white photograph of Charles arm in arm with a radiant Meghan Markle on her wedding day.

The image, taken at St George’s Chapel on 19 May 2018, captures the moment Charles stepped in for Meghan’s father, Thomas, who was unable to attend after suffering a heart attack.

It was the future king who walked his daughter-in-law halfway down the aisle, a gesture remembered as one of the day’s most tender surprises.

And now, years and several family rifts later, the photograph remains proudly on display in the King’s London home.

A small frame, perhaps but a big statement about the ties that even royal turbulence can’t quite undo.

The candid snap, showing Charles and Meghan during their historic walk, is said to sit beside a far more formal family portrait.

The 2018 photograph sits beside a formal portrait from Prince Louis’s christening.

In the image, the former Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appear with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and newborn Louis joined by Charles, Camilla, Harry, and Meghan in full family formation.

Prince Harry himself paid tribute to his father’s steady presence in the 2017 BBC documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70.

Meghan said, "Harry’s father is incredibly charming, and I remember telling him, I’ve lost my dad in all of this, so having him as a father-in-law means a great deal to me."