- The christening of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son, Archie Harrison, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son, took place July 6, 2019.
- The Queen and Prince Philip were notably not in attendance, which was said to be the result of a scheduling conflict.
- A new book, “Royals at War: The Untold Story of Harry and Meghan’s Shocking Split with the House of Windsor,” by journalists Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett, suggests Her Majesty’s absence represented tensions between the Sussexes and the royal family.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, celebrated his christening on July 6, 2019 – just over one year ago – and released a family photo to mark the occasion.
The official portrait from 2019 was taken by photographer Chris Allerton in Windsor Castle’s Green Drawing Room.
The photo includes senior members of the royal family, as well as Prince Harry’s aunts, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who are sisters to the late Princess Diana. Next to Lady Jane Fellowes is Doria Ragland, Meghan Markle’s mother.
The Queen and Prince Philip, Archie's great-grandparents, were not in attendance due to a scheduling conflict
It was reported that the Queen didn't attend Archie's christening because she had prior commitments, Daily Mail royal correspondent and editor Rebecca English previously confirmed on Twitter. Her Majesty was set to attend a number of engagements in Scotland, and Prince Philip wasn't in attendance at Archie's event, either, seeing that the Queen had a "diary clash," or scheduling overlap.
It's traditional for the Queen and Prince Philip to attend christenings of their great-grandchildren, as they did for Princess Charlotte and Prince George - but they missed Prince Louis' christening in June 2018, which was said to be mutually agreed-upon by Prince William and Kate Middleton, according to royals journalist Rebecca English.
However, "Royals at War: The Untold Story of Harry and Meghan's Shocking Split with the House of Windsor," a book published in June and authored by journalists Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett, suggests that there is a bigger story behind the absence of the Queen and Prince Philip.
Above, a photo taken by Chris Allerton, shows the Queen, Prince Philip, and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, meeting Archie in May 2019.
Palace insiders said the Queen and Prince Philip may have 'pointedly' missed Archie's christening
A recent article from the Daily Star cites Howard and Tillett's book, which says: "Pointedly, the Queen and Prince Philip stayed away" from the event.
"They had been generous and understanding at their best. But they simply now felt publicly embarrassed by Meghan's controlling behaviour, said a well-placed Palace insider," says an excerpt from the book, speaking of the Queen and Prince Philip.
The christening came after years of built-up tension between the Sussexes and the Queen and was ultimately one of many signs that may have foreshadowed Megxit, suggests the book, cited by the Daily Star.
One year following baby Archie's christening, Meghan Markle has said that she felt 'unprotected' from media scrutiny while she was a working member of the royal family
According to Insider's Mikhaila Friel, a court document filed as part of Meghan Markle's ongoing legal battle against the Mail on Sunday shows that Markle's lawyers appeared to criticize Kensington Palace for apparently not assisting the duchess in a time of distress.
"The Claimant had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media, specifically by the Defendant, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health," a legal spokesperson for the duchess said in the document, obtained by Insider.
"As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution, and prohibited from defending herself," the legal spokesperson added.
Representatives for Kensington Palace previously declined to comment.
- Read more:
- Meghan Markle says she was 'unprotected' by the royal family, and that she wasn't allowed to defend herself against the press
- Former palace staff shared their most awkward encounters with the royal family
- Martin Luther King Jr.'s son says he wasn't surprised by the way Britain treated Meghan Markle
