Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a photographer into Buckingham Palace without permission from the late Queen, it has been claimed.
A never-before-seen snap in the trailer for the couple's new Netflix miniseries appears to show them walking out of the royal residence's garden entrance.
Two footmen can be seen holding the door open for them, with Meghan wearing a winter coat and heels.
Strict protocol states any such footage needs to be okayed by the monarch, and the photo allegedly caused contention among aides at the time.
A written complaint was reportedly lodged which claimed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex failed to get the correct permission to film there.
However, it is understood Harry and Meghan were not directly made aware of the warning and the photographer who captured the picture was not asked to leave the grounds.
An article in the Telegraph goes on to say insiders confirmed a memo should have been sent to the Queen but wasn't.
One source told the newspaper the incident was a "genuine violation".
It is believed the image was one of several captured in March 2020 before the Sussexes officially stepped down as working royals.
Photographer Chris Allerton was often on hand for Harry and Meghan before they moved to the US, however the photo in question has not yet been credited to anyone by name.
It is possible further images from around the time of their farewell tour could feature, with the couple also known to have held events in the Belgian Suite and 1844 room.
The new docuseries - entitled Harry & Meghan - is set to explore the early stages of the couple's relationship up to the point they decided to leave the Firm and start new lives abroad.
The release of the series will clash with the Princess of Wales' festive concert which will be attended by members of the family as a memorial to the Queen.
Harry and Meghan are said to be planning to offer an olive branch to Prince William and Kate but will wait until after the "inevitable furore" the series and a tell-all memoir due out in January could bring.
The trailer for the Sussexes' new series appears to suggest a "declaration of war", sources claim.
Harry's voice over says "no-one sees what's happening behind closed doors" while Meghan sits apparently in tears.
The next shot showed the pair sitting behind William, Kate, Charles and Camilla at the 2019 Commonwealth Service in London.
Later on, Meghan added: "When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?"
The six-part series is understood to be being released in two parts, the first next Thursday (December 8), the three-month anniversary of the Queen's death.
The second will be released a week later on December 15, the day of Kate's second annual carol concert at Westminster Abbey.
It will be broadcast on Christmas Eve.
Harry's controversial memoir 'Spare' - which was delayed and reportedly partially re-written after his grandmother's death - is due out next month.
The royals are said to be "unlikely" to publicly respond to any allegations made by the Sussexes.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment when contacted by the Mirror.
