The fallout of the ongoing feud among members of the British Royal Family appears to be such a deep split that not even the Christmas holiday spirit is enough to smooth things over.
That was made obvious by the apparent snub of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle in King Charles III's Christmas message from Buckingham Palace on Monday, according to the New York Post.
Some of the king's words were interpreted to be a jab at his estranged son and daughter-in-law, as was their notable exclusion from a variety of video clips within the holiday message that featured other members of the Royal Family, including Prince William, his wife Princess Kate, and their three children.
According to the Post, the apparent theme of King Charles' Christmas message was one of being caring and compassionate and maintaining a spirit of service unto others less fortunate and, in a nod to his fixation on environmentalism, toward the earth and nature itself.
The Mirror reported that King Charles snubbed Harry and Meghan for the second time in a row in his special Christmas message by making no mention and featuring no images or pictures of his youngest son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who live in the United States.
In contrast, the king's eldest son and heir, William, along with his wife Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children plus other Royal Family members and the king himself were featured in several video clips within the Christmas message that showed them providing charitable services of some sort for others.
Some of the king's words, including heralding the "selfless army of people" who paid homage during his coronation this year and praising their efforts to serve others instead of themselves, were also viewed by some as a slight against his youngest erstwhile son.
According to the Post, the Royal Family's falling out dates back to before 2020, when Prince Harry and Meghan all but denounced their royalty and moved to the U.S. to pursue their own profitable interests.
Per Sky News Australia, that included the publication of Harry's tell-all memoir "Spare" and the couple's Netflix docuseries, both of which contained explosive and scandalous claims of racist elitism among other members of the Royal Family.
Things have not improved much over the past few years despite reported efforts to patch things over amid the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Charles' ascension to the throne. Indeed, The Mirror reported that there had been some talk of Harry and Meghan joining the Royal Family for Christmas in Sandringham, but any such plans never materialized and the Duke and Duchess are believed to have remained home in California for the holiday.
Those efforts to fix the strained relationships, if they made any success, were undoubtedly derailed recently by allegations of racism and other scandalous claims from Harry and Meghan against others in the Royal Family that were included in a new book known as "Endgame" by author Omid Scobie, according to The Royal Observer.
In advance reference to the king's upcoming Christmas speech, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams accurately predicted to the Observer, "Harry and Meghan are unlikely to be mentioned. Omid Scobie's Endgame, which was an attack on the monarchy and caused considerable controversy, certainly won't be."
"It does seem likely that, with the situation in Gaza causing such concern, that it will be mentioned. The coming year is an election year in Britain. The King’s message, above party politics, will symbolize the continuity which the monarchy provides and which is so important," he added.
