In a twist royals fans didn’t see coming, one of Princess Diana‘s siblings was missing from the family portrait at Archie’s christening.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry included Diana’s sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, in the official photo to honour the late Princess of Wales.
However, Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer was left out of the shot, taken by royal photographer Chris Allerton.
WATCH: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release pictures of Archie’s christening
The Earl’s attendance also remains unconfirmed, due to the scarcity in details of Archie’s christening.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were other notable absences, due to prior commitments for the Queen in Scotland.
The 9th Earl Spencer has had issues with the royal family since his speech at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, where he claimed his sister was the “the most hunted person of the modern age”.
According to Express UK, the Queen was reportedly “disappointed” and “saddened” by the speech.
In addition to this statement, Charles made several thinly veiled comments about the British royal family during his speech.
Charles said his sister “needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic” and that “it is a tribute to her level-headedness and strength that despite the most bizarre-like life imaginable after her childhood, she remained intact, true to herself.”
However, Princess Diana’s brother was included in the royal baby’s birth announcement, which leaves the possibility that he did attend Archie’s christening.
Buckingham Palace made this announcement following Archie’s birth:
“The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer have been informed and are delighted with the news.”
The Chris Allerton shot has been surrounded by controversy since it was shared on Instagram by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex just hours after Archie’s christening.
Royal fans balked at the notable spacing between Prince Harry and brother Prince William in the picture, as well as the Duke of Cambridge’s ‘sour faced’ smirk.
Royal fans also noticed Kate Middleton‘s uncomfortable posture.
Body language expert Judi James told Daily Mail that Prince William “looked like he was going into nightclub bouncer mode” and Kate’s looked “ready to flee.”
Lady Jane Fellowes was one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first visitors when Archie was born, preceding even the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Their closeness is likely to be the reason she and her sister Sarah were placed closer to the Sussex royals than Prince William and Kate.
Earl Spencer’s absence from Archie’s christening portrait remains unexplained.
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