The royal family wished Prince Harry a happy birthday over the weekend, but they also overlooked Meghan Markle in the process.
Yes, Harry turned 40 on Sunday, and in a surprise move, the royal family publicly acknowledged the occasion.
First, King Charles and Queen Camilla shared a photo of Harry with their birthday wishes.
After this Prince William and Kate Middleton shared the photo with a message.
Was Meghan Markle cropped out in Prince Harry’s birthday photo?
But it now looks like the photo the royal family chose of Harry originally also included Meghan.
According to a new report SunThe royal family used a cropped version of a photo in which Harry sat next to Meghan.
They may have done so for convenience or to keep the focus on Harry. But many believe the move has spoiled the opportunity for a so-called “royal olive branch.”
The peace proposal backfired
Many royal fans were overjoyed when Harry received heartfelt birthday wishes from Will and Kate.
,
The relationship between Kate Middleton and Prince Harry has been strained over the past several years.
Obviously, Harry hasn’t had the best of relationships with most of the royal family members since coming to the US with Meghan.
But insiders say no one has felt more betrayed than Kate.
Journalists and royal experts have claimed Kate was furious over Harry’s 2023 memoir and there was a point when it seemed the in-laws might never speak again.
Is the Kate Middleton-Prince Harry feud over?
But on Sunday, Kate and Prince William surprised the world by wishing Harry a happy 40th birthday.
The message shared by Kate and William on X (formerly Twitter) read: “Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”
The couple also shared a birthday message for Harry (and a photo of a smiling duke), which was originally posted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
It might not seem like a big deal, but this is the first time Will and Kate have wished Harry a happy birthday since he stepped down from his working royal duties.
So why did the tension suddenly ease? Were Will and Kate just doing this because Charles and Camilla posted first?
Or has Kate’s battle with cancer improved relations within the royal family, as many had hoped?
Well, the real reasoning behind this move may be much more simple and practical than all of that.
Celebrating a Milestone
After all, it was Harry’s 40th birthday. And as one expert points out, the royal family may have broken the usual rules simply because it was such an important occasion.
according to hello! According to royal correspondent Daniel Stacy, the Windsor family doesn’t typically publicly wish non-working royal members a happy birthday.
“In recent years, and certainly since the reign of King Charles III begins in September 2022, we have only seen public messages from the royal family’s social media accounts for working members of the royal family, such as the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal,” Stacey said.
They further added: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals in 2020 and will no longer undertake royal duties.”
“Similarly, the palace does not usually share messages on the birthdays of Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall, or on the special days of their children.”
So it’s quite possible that Kate and Will congratulated Harry simply because he turned 40.
As far as Meghan goes, they probably didn’t even know she was in the photo originally. And they almost certainly didn’t crop her out and shade her out on purpose.
In other words, the feud may not be over. But at least we’re slowly moving in the right direction.