Kim Kardashian has finally revealed that it was Meghan Markle and Prince Harry who asked for pictures of them at Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday party to be deleted because it was the night before Remembrance Sunday.
The vanishing images sparked a global media storm dubbed 'photo-gate' - and made waves in Hollywood - amid confusion about who had demanded their removal from Instagram last November.
But two months on Ms Kardashian, 45, has said that it was Meghan and Harry's decision.
'I think they realised it was Remembrance Day and they didn’t want to be seen at a party', she said.
Kim was also absolutely clear that the images had been shared online with the Sussexes' consent, explaining: 'We were told that it was totally cool to post. We’re never ones to post without permission. It’s not who we are'.
Candid photos from the party showed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex cosying up to Kris Jenner at her milestone 70th birthday party in November.
In one image Harry was seen sashaying towards her on the dancefloor in Beverly Hills at the James Bond-themed bash thrown for Ms Jenner by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez at their $165million estate.
The Duke of Sussex was wearing a poppy on his lapel - but his wife had not worn one.
But hours later all images of the Sussexes partying with stars and the birthday girl were mysteriously 'scrubbed' from social media by Kris and Kim - but only after they had already shared them with their millions of Instagram followers.
Kim has said that Harry and Meghan had changed their minds and wanted them 'taken down' because they didn’t want to be seen 'partying and dancing on the dance floor'.
'I think they realised it was Remembrance Day, and they didn’t want to be seen at a party, even though it’s already up, you know, and then taken down.
'And then I think they realized, like, "oh, this was so silly",' she told her sister Khloe as they discussed the so-called 'photo-gate' row for the first time on the Khloe In Wonder Land podcast.
Kris Jenner had published a snap of herself sandwiched between the duke and duchess at the Bond-themed party.
Kris’s daughter Kim Kardashian, meanwhile, posted three pictures: one of herself posing with Meghan, with Harry deep in conversation with another guest; a second featuring Meghan greeting the boss of Netflix, Reed Hastings, with a hug; and a third of Meghan giggling with her hand on Kris’s shoulder, while a bleary-eyed Harry gazed at the pair.
But then the images were swiftly deleted from both accounts, without explanation.
There were rumours and reports in the US press that there had been a photo consent form.
But a source close to Kris said thus was false, insisting her guests were her friends and family, and she would never have asked for something like this.
There was also a row because photos of the Sussexes at a charity event earlier in the same day had not been deleted.
She added that while Prince Harry and Meghan were photographed attending the Baby2Baby charity gala the same evening, there was a distinction to be made.
'That was fine, but maybe not partying and dancing on the dance floor or whatever,' Kim noted. 'So we took them down to respect Remembrance Day.'
'It was really innocent, which is so crazy,' Kim added. 'Mom and Meghan have been friends for some years now, and they have a really sweet relationship.'
Remembrance Day, observed annually on the second of November, honours members of the armed forces who lost their lives in service.
Prince Harry was notably seen wearing a poppy - an emblem of Remembrance Day - on his way into Jenner's party at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's mansion.
The Daily Mail has asked the Sussexes' to comment.
Kris Jenner's birthday celebration took place the night before royals gathered at London's Cenotaph for the annual service.
King Charles and other members of the royal family led the commemorations in Whitehall to honour the service and sacrifice of all those who lost their lives in conflict.
As she reflected on the unexpected backlash, Kim admitted the situation spiralled.
'You got to laugh at, like, the situation sometimes and just, like, lighten it up and be if everyone's taking it the wrong way, like, lean in,' she said, joking that she even suggested turning the moment into a tongue-in-cheek campaign for her clothing brand Skims.
'We should do a full Skims campaign,' Kim said.
'Take the photo - even just us, like, I'll shoot you at mom, you know, post it and then delete it, like, 30 minutes later. And then I say, "Oh, sorry, I didn't have permission to post those photos for the campaign",'
Still, Kim emphasised that the entire saga left her feeling a bit disappointed.
'If we just made it light and made it funny, you know, I think it would have been, like, received differently,' she said.
'But I hated how that was received for everyone. That sucks. It was just made into something that was so crazy and ridiculous that just didn't have to be.'
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not the only big names at the event as Jenner posed with Beyoncé and enjoyed a dance session with Justin Bieber as she shared behind-the-scenes snaps from her Bond-themed bash.
Kris also shared a photo of herself dancing up a storm with Bieber, who gave her a respectful bow on the dance floor.
Beyond the royal moment, the sisters' podcast conversation remained playful, touching on family dinners, everyday routines, and even recent Malibu get-togethers attended by younger sister Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet.
Khloe went on to praise Kylie for staying out late during a recent intimate dinner, with Kim adding that Kylie and Timothée 'had the best time', as the sisters laughed about being exhausted afterward.
The episode also featured a lighthearted round of the game 'When was the last time', with Kim candidly admitted it had been years since she's gone to a supermarket.
In the first part of their interview, which was broken into two episodes, Kim finally tackled where she stands with Taylor Swift after their feud.
The drama goes way back to 2016, when Kanye West's song Famous dropped and Kim leaked edited phone calls that made Swift look like a liar - sparking snake emojis, fan rage and fueling the Reputation album.
After being named TIME’s Person of the Year in 2023, Swift threw shade at Kim, claiming she 'took her down psychologically' and forced her into hiding, sending the feud back into headlines.
With the Swift feud hanging in the air, Khloe asked the question everyone was waiting for: 'Do you think people would be surprised you listen to Taylor Swift?'
Kim replied, 'I think I’ve said it.'
Khloe chimed in, 'I think people would be surprised.'
'Yeah, it’s just… I have some of her older songs in my playlist,' Kim admitted. 'I’ve always thought she’s a super talented, great artist.'
And just like that, Swift was off the table, as Khloe quickly pivoted: 'So… do you like country music?'
Kim lit up: 'I love country music! I’ll always be a Shania Twain girl. I love Carrie Underwood. And LeAnn Rimes - obsessed.'
