Meghan Markle ‘cropped out Harry birthday post’ but King will never completely shut out his son

In a surprising move, the Royal Family acknowledged Prince Harry’s birthday on their official social media platforms for the first time in three years. This courtesy is usually extended to all working royals, but given the Duke of Sussex’s estrangement from The Firm, it was unexpected.

King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales publicly wished Prince Harry a happy 40th birthday on September 15 in what could be seen as a strategic peace offering.

Both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace posted on their social media platforms within hours of each other as the Duke of Sussex prepared for celebrations in California, the Mirror reports.

The selected image of Harry, taken during his tenure as a working Royal in 2018, was captured during a visit to a Dublin start-up with Meghan by his side. However, she was noticeably absent from the frame, seemingly cropped out by the original photographer at the time.

It was reported that the palace stressed behind the scenes that this was merely following ‘tradition’, where public birthday wishes are extended on ‘significant’ birthdays even for non-working royals.

Both Meghan and Andrew, the Duke of York, have had their milestone birthdays celebrated in this manner in recent years – her 40th and his 60th – despite their individual issues with the Royal Family.

Buckingham Palace led the charge with a cheerful snapshot of Prince Harry from his post-wedding Irish visit in 2018. They shared: “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today! ” complete with a celebratory birthday cake emoji. This is the first reference to the duke by the palace in over two years.

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Kensington Palace echoed the sentiment, sharing the identical photo and message just two hours later. The coordinated effort seemingly reflects an intent to avoid speculation had one household refrained from recognising the special day.

The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English commented on the need for consistency, stating: “It is likely that both would have felt the need to ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’ given the conjecture it would inevitably create if one household chose not to.”

She also stated: “Anguishing over whether to simply wish someone a happy birthday seems ridiculous, but in terms of royal communications, these things matter. Millions pour over their social media posts and much rune-reading taken from each message.”

She believes “Charles will never completely close the door on his youngest son,” according to sources at the Daily Mail.

Former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond expressed surprise upon discovering that William and Catherine had posted their own birthday wishes, remarking: “I don’t think this almost insignificant gesture signals the start of a reconciliation, but it is an unexpected twist.”

Yesterday’s display of warmth will be seen as an olive branch from the King over their long standing feud since Harry’s departure from the monarchy in 2020.

The duke has engaged in several controversial projects where he has publicly attacked the Royal Family since relocating to the US with Meghan. These include his bombshell Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan in 2022, followed by his tell-all memoir Spare just a few months later.

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