Sad truth behind Royal Family photo celebrating King Charles’ 70th birthday

Pictures that were released in honour of the King's 70th birthday have a much deeper meaning, as people have realised the sad truth.

It's not often that we see the senior members of the royal family come together for a posed picture.

In fact, the people who make up the 'senior royals' has actually changed a great deal in the last decade, following the departure of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry over five years ago.

The pair announced in January 2020 that they were 'stepping back' from their duties, and moving over to the US to raise their young family.

It was the late Queen who granted the couple permission to do so, as she 'agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK'.

In an official statement, she added: "These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days."

The image is the last ever official picture taken, with all former senior royals present (Chris Jackson/Clarencehouse)

Five years on, and the duke and duchess have visited Harry's homeland just a handful of times, and the rift between the families remains.

But one picture that was released in 2018 has caught the attention of royal fans, who believe that it is the final ever portrait of the entire family together.

The images were taken in honour of King Charles' 70th birthday, and his wife, Queen Camilla, along with Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle join him.

Meghan Markle can be seen laughing in the more candid image (Chris Jackson/Clarencehouse)

Each member of the family is dressed in white and blue to mark the special occasion, and there is even a more candid version of the original picture, which shows them laughing together.

Not long after his birthday, the BBC ran a special documentary titled Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, in which Harry spoke openly about asking his father to walk Meghan down the aisle at their wedding.

The dad-of-two said: "I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming and he immediately said, ‘Yes, of course, I’ll do whatever Meghan needs, and I’m here to support you'."

He added: "For him, that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support, and you know he’s our father so of course he’s gonna be there for us."

But the relationship between the two seems to remain broken for the time being.