Prince Harry and Meghan Markle believed the "entire institution" was conspiring against them after the Queen released an official photo showing off her heirs, an author has claimed in an updated book.
To mark the start of 2020, the Monarch shared a lovely photo of herself with son Prince Charles, her grandson Prince Charles and our youngest future kind - Prince George.
It was taken in Buckingham Palace's Throne Room, and laid out the future of the British Monarchy as well as being a cute family photo.
However there has been much speculation that the snap caused upset behind palace walls.
In an updated edition of his unauthorised biography, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew Morton claims it made Meghan and Harry question their position in The Firm.
He writes: "The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them. As they saw it, the evidence was all around them.
"The unspoken code was straightforward: the future of the monarchy was assured, with or without Meghan and Harry."
And Morton claims this fear was confirmed when the Queen cancelled a meeting with Harry, in which he wanted to discuss his royal future.
He writes: "This sense that, despite their international popularity, they were low down the royal totem pole was confirmed when Harry arranged to meet the Queen for a grandson-to-grandmother chat in early January.
"At the last minute the meeting was postponed. Harry suspected classic internal politics, his family concerned that anything the Queen agreed during informal conversations would be used by Harry as a negotiating tactic."
Just days later, on January 8, Meghan and Harry shocked the world by sharing a status on social media saying they were stepping back from their senior roles.
Saying they had spend "many months" reflecting over the decision, they explained they planned to "carve out a progressive new role within [the] institution" while becoming financially independent.
The couple have since spoken out about their decision to quit in two high profile interviews.
Harry was first to discuss their decision, while taking an open top bus tour around LA with James Cordon.
He said: "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like.
"It was destroying my mental health. I was like, this is toxic.
"So I did what any husband and any father would do, I need to get my family out of here. But we never walked away.
"As far as I'm concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away.
"I will always be contributing. But my life is service, so wherever I am in the world it's always going to be the same thing."
Shortly afterwards the couple sat down with Oprah Winfrey, both making shocking claims about their time in the Palace.
Meghan said she was denied help for her mental health despite having suicidal thoughts, and said an unnamed member of the royal family asked questions about Archie's skin tone.
