Last week, Buckingham Palace released a new royal portrait that caused a wave of controversy. In the snapshot, the new Fab Four — Kate Middleton, Prince William, King Charles, and Queen Camilla — posed together, while Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were noticeably missing from the picture despite being in town when it was taken. 

Less than 48-hours later, the Sussexes shared two portraits of their own from their trip to the United Kingdom, and according to royal biographer Tom Bower, the timing was no accident. In fact, he says, the photos were intended to be a direct diss. “It was all about, we’re back now on course to build Brand Meghan and the book, the Netflix series, the podcast,” Bowers explained, adding that the images of Meghan and Harry were an attempt to humiliate the royal family. “Everything is money. And to their advantage, they were in the public eye for seven days during the funeral or more, every day they were filmed.”

Clearly not a fan of Markle, Bowers added, "You know, she has really got one interest, and that’s Meghan and the casualties are the royal family, and as far as she’s concerned, that’s terrific.”

Although the Sussexes seemingly put their animosity aside following Queen Elizabeth's death (they even had a private dinner with the new Prince and Princess of Wales), a source revealed that Prince Harry, Prince William, and their wives still found their interactions with each other "awkward." 

"It was awkward. Both couples found it hard," an insider told People. "They were in a stoic spirit of just getting through it for the queen."