When Charles Delivered A Video Message, A Photo In The Background Sparked An Online Frenzy

At the time, Charles was launching the new NHS Nightingale Hospital London – making him the first member of his family to ever do so via video link. He was communicating from his Scottish countryside residence of Birkhall, which is part of the Balmoral estate and used as a summer home by the prince and his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort.

And the speech that Charles delivered from Birkhall was a moving one. Speaking to all those involved in the creation of the hospital, he remarked, “If I may say so, I was enormously touched to have been asked to open the Nightingale Hospital… It is without doubt a spectacular and almost unbelievable feat of work in every sense – from its speed of construction in just nine days, as we’ve heard, to its size and the skills of those who have created it.”

“[It is] an example, if any one was needed, of how the impossible could be made possible and how we could achieve the unthinkable through human will and ingenuity,” Charles continued. “The creation of this hospital is above all the result of an extraordinary collaboration and partnership between NHS managers, the military and all those involved to create a center on a scale that has never been seen before in the United Kingdom.”

Speaking directly to the camera, the heir to the British throne continued, “On behalf of the nation, I want to say a very big thank you to the planners, the builders, the Armed Forces, the generous companies and organizations [that] have donated equipment and services and all the support staff who have made this possible.”

And, naturally, Charles thanked the people who’d be operating the hospital as well. “We are in an immense debt of gratitude to the doctors, the nurses, the technicians, the staff currently working in the health service and those coming out of retirement and the voluntary workers who will be working within it,” he said.

Charles also mentioned the historical figure who had given the new medical facility its moniker, adding, “The name of this hospital could not have been more aptly chosen. Florence Nightingale, the lady with the lamp, brought hope and healing to thousands in their darkest hour… It is symbolic of the selfless care and devoted service taking place in innumerable settings with countless individuals throughout the United Kingdom.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, as the wonders of modern technology can only do so much and I can’t quite reach, perhaps I could invite Nightingale’s head of nursing Natalie Gray on my behalf to unveil the plaque to declare NHS Nightingale Hospital open,” the prince concluded. The plaque was then revealed to warm applause.

And Charles’ words were largely received positively. One viewer responded to the address by writing on Twitter, “Listening to his speech, [he] came across as king in waiting. I sincerely hope this isn’t for many years, but when that day arrives, we will have a most worldly, wise, experienced, qualified king in our midst, and we should be grateful for this in years to come.”

Yet the speech wasn’t the only noteworthy aspect of the broadcast, as Charles’ video also gave fans a rare chance to pore over the interior of Birkhall – one of the most private of the British royal family’s properties. In fact, the home – which dates back to the 1700s – has only really been seen before on the 2018 BBC show Prince, Son, and Heir: Charles at 70.

And when the documentary cameras went inside Birkhall, they allowed the audience a look at its interior decoration. Viewers noticed in particular that there were a lot of photographs of the prince and his family, with one snap having appeared to have been taken at the baptism ceremony of Prince Louis.

A few other details are known about Birkhall, though. Originally, the property belonged to Queen Victoria, and ever since then it’s been passed down through the royal family. In her youth, the Queen even used to vacation at Birkhall with her sister, Margaret. Then it became the Queen Mother’s residence until her death, upon which it was given to her grandchild Charles.

But even though Birkhall’s inner workings are largely kept under wraps, Charles did nonetheless discuss its gardens with Country Life magazine back in 2013. “It is such a special place – particularly because it was made by my grandmother,” he said. “It is a childhood garden, and all I’ve done, really, is enhance it a bit.”

The prince, who was actually the guest editor for that edition of Country Life, added, “My gardening style is to try to work with the spirit of the place and to have enough time to walk round and round until a vision of how it should be comes to me. Sometimes, I see it in a dream.”

The room from which Charles gave his Nightingale Hospital speech appeared, though, to be his rarely seen office in Birkhall. Keen-eyed royal watchers therefore scanned the background to see which photographs the Duke of Cornwall had deemed worthy of inclusion in the room. And there were quite a few dotted around, it transpired.

A photo subsequently released by Clarence House of Charles recording his speech also provided a good view of the office. And this snap contained a detail that viewers of the video wouldn’t have been able to see. It appears that Charles had fixed his tablet in place using a book he himself had written: Harmony: A New Way of Looking at the World.

And the Clarence House post also lets the curious take a closer look at the photos behind Charles. One depicted the Queen, Charles’ mother, as an infant back in the 1920s. Another was of the prince and his sister, Princess Anne – reportedly the sibling he likes the most – as children. That snap was taken when the royal family were holidaying in Malta in the mid-1950s, and the prince and princess happen to be wearing adorably coordinating clothing.

Other images appeared to be of the royal family on more public occasions. For instance, a photograph of Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry in military garb during a commemorative Royal Air Force event could be seen sitting on the Duke of Cornwall’s piano. Elsewhere, set aside from the other frames, there was a photo taken just after the prince’s 2005 marriage ceremony.

And some viewers may have been rather relieved to see a shot of Harry in the background, as his decision to step away from his family is said to have caused some dissent within the ranks. Famously, at the beginning of 2020, Harry and his wife, Meghan, revealed that they would effectively be retiring from royal duties. Instead, the couple would be dividing their lives between North America and the United Kingdom as they raised their son, Archie.

Unfortunately, though, Charles was said to be livid about the development. According to a January 2020 report by The Sun, an anonymous insider claimed that both the prince and his son William had been “incandescent with rage” about Harry’s announcement. Allegedly, the two royals also believed that they’d been “stabbed in the back” – especially as Harry apparently hadn’t hashed out any of the details of the move with his relatives.

That said, the tricky situation seems to have been resolved after some discussion. On January 13 the Queen released a statement that read, “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family.”

Then, after that, another anonymous source told The Sun, “Of course everybody, Charles included, would rather that Harry and Meghan had remained as part of the royal family. Charles, in particular, felt that the work and causes Harry and Meghan were embarking on could be really served by remaining within the royal household.”

“But like any loving father, now Harry has made his decision Charles is keen to support him,” the insider continued. “Since Harry came back, he has seen his father, and they have discussed what Harry wants to do in the future. Harry hugely respects his father’s opinion and has welcomed the advice he has given him.”

And not only was Harry represented on his father’s office wall, but Meghan and Archie were as well. Another image showed the whole family together at Louis’ baptism – prior to Archie’s birth – with Meghan standing beside her husband. Atop the piano, there was also a shot of Charles with his youngest grandchild.

There were other interesting items within the prince’s office, including several expensive-looking ornaments. Also seen in view were flowers – probably from the garden – and a photograph of Charles’ niece Zara Tindall riding her horse. But alongside all of these items, there was one very peculiar object that caught everyone’s eye. You simply couldn’t miss it if you tried!

Yes, if you look just to the right of Charles, you should spot a monochrome silhouette in a frame. Naturally, people wanted to know more about it. Who is it meant to be? Why is it there, surrounded by photos of other members of the royal family? Twitter immediately got on the case. And, of course, jokes soon followed.

Writer Richard Littler took it upon himself to tweet a close-up picture of the mysterious frame, captioned simply with the words “What the…” Then, in reply to the post, people shared Photoshopped memes where the empty space was replaced with something amusing. Images of Tiger King star Joe Exotic and actor Tom Baker were pasted into the void, for example, as well as an unflattering picture of Prince Philip.

However, some attempted to crack the mystery. A reply to Littler read, “If you look closely, there seems to be a faint pencil drawing in that frame – in this pic at least.” Maybe it was a child’s doodle that didn’t show up well on camera? And another individual offered probably the simplest explanation: “Did Charles forget to put a picture in the frame?”

“Prince Charles currently giving a speech,” another social media user wrote. “Empty photo frame in the background? Is this for the lost siblings within the ranks?” This could have been a reference to Charles having a secret twin brother – a jokey plot point in British satirical royal sitcom The Windsors.

Another person quipped, on the other hand, that the empty picture frame depicted “just one of the vampire ancestors.” And, yes, there really is a conspiracy theory that Charles is a vampire. Apparently, he’s a distant relative of Vlad the Impaler – the nightmarish figure who was the real-life basis for Dracula. The prince has also happily talked up Transylvania as a tourist destination in the past.

And the Twitter jokes became weirder and weirder. One person jested, “What many people don’t realize is HRH Prince Charles is trapped inside a picture frame for 70 percent of his life and is only released under the orders of the Queen.” Another wrote, “Something climbed out of that photo and is in the world now. It’s out there. Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

One of the recurring responses was that either Harry or Meghan had been edited out of the photograph – even though, judging by the contents of the rest of the room, that seemed unlikely to be the case. Yet there had been a royal occasion not long beforehand in which the Sussexes were notable by their absence.

In 2019 the Queen delivered her usual Christmas speech to the nation. And just as with Charles’ later broadcast, the monarch was filmed surrounded by family photos. Noticeably, though, none of these images showed Harry, Meghan, or Archie.

And during the previous Christmas address, there had been visible pictures on a table of both Harry and Meghan. So, upon seeing that there were no such snaps present for the 2019 speech, some onlookers concluded that this must have been a snub of some kind. Arguments broke out online, in fact, with a number of people claiming that the Queen was sending a coded message about an apparent feud.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward also weighed in on the matter when she spoke to the Daily Mirror in December 2019. On that occasion, Seward claimed that the photographs arranged for the Queen’s speech seemed to “represent the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy” and that “all the media problems with Harry and Meghan must have worried [the Queen].” Even so, the commentator went on, the monarch “would never be so underhand as to deliberately omit their picture.”

And to be fair, the Queen did reference baby Archie in her Christmas speech. “Two hundred years on from the birth of my great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, Prince Philip and I have been delighted to welcome our eighth great-grandchild into our family,” she said. “Of course, at the heart of the Christmas story lies the birth of a child: a seemingly small and insignificant step overlooked by many in Bethlehem.”

Yet the problem of the missing photographs came up again when Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step down as senior royals. “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were missing from the Queen’s 2019 Christmas speech,” a fan wrote on Twitter. “Some said it was because... only heirs were [on] display. Now we understand clearly why.”

And anonymous sources who spoke to the media claimed that the absence of any photos of Harry and Meghan from the broadcast had caused strife within the royal family. An insider told The Times that the couple had felt ostracized and had “taken the same message from the fact that there were no images among the framed photographs on the Queen’s desk when she delivered her Christmas Day message.”

Of course, everything now seems to be fine in that department. According to royal observer Katie Nicholl, who spoke to Entertainment Tonight in May 2020, Harry and Meghan had “settled into their [new] lives” in Los Angeles and were now in regular friendly contact with William in particular.

So, maybe the Queen wasn’t sending out any sort of coded message with her omission of Harry and Meghan at all. And, presumably, Charles isn’t signaling anything, either, with the strange blank picture he keeps in his office. On the other hand, if it later turns out that he really is a vampire, a lot of people will be saying “Told you so…”