Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were once “tipped over the edge” during a Christmas moment which made them “consider their own path”, a book has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior working royals in early 2020. However, their ongoing feud with the Royal Family was already brewing.

Harry and Meghan last joined the royals on Christmas Day in 2018. In 2019, the couple spent their holidays in Canada and their relationship with the Firm was already becoming too frosty. A few months later, they announced their departure.

While there were many factors which contributed to their decision, there was one particular moment during Christmas in 2019 which was dubbed “the final straw” by author Omid Scobie.

Harry and Meghan allegedly believed the Firm and royal staff were “conspiring against them” and according to the authors, they both felt that they “had long been sidelined by the institution and were not a fundamental part of its future.”

The book read: “One didn’t have to look further than the family photos displayed during the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day.

“In the Green Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, where the Queen delivered her address, viewers glimpsed photos of the [Waleses] and their children, Charles and Camilla, Prince Philip, and a black-and-white image of George VI.

“Noticeably absent was a photo of Harry, Meghan, and their new baby, Archie.

“Palace sources insisted that the photos were chosen to represent the direct line of succession.

“But for Harry and Meghan, it had been yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path.”

However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were featured in that year’s Christmas Day speech, when never-before-seen footage of the Queen and Prince Philip meeting Archie for the first time with Harry, Meghan and Meghan’s mum, Doria Ragland, was included.