Meghan Markle Cropped Out of Photo in Royal Family’s Online 40th Birthday Tribute to Prince Harry

A royal snub? Meghan Markle was cropped out of the photo the royal family used in their social media tributes wishing Prince Harry a happy 40th birthday on Sunday, September 15.

Harry, 40, was seen wearing a gray jacket and white shirt while smiling brightly in the picture chosen for his milestone birthday. “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” the caption read on the royal family’s official Instagram and X accounts.

Two glasses were seen on the table in front of the duke, and Meghan, 43, was seated to Harry’s left in the original photo. It was taken while the couple were still working members of the British royal family.

The pair were visiting Dublin, Ireland’s Dogpatch startup hub on July 11, 2018, during their first royal tour following their May 19, 2018, wedding.

While some royal watchers were surprised the royals gave Harry a birthday shout-out, the family has a policy of wishing members well on milestone birthdays. Even Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton sent Harry well wishes, but only via their X account.

“Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!” the couple wrote while reposting the original message and photo shared by the family’s main page. William, 42, and Harry have been estranged since November 2018 when the brothers split their official households. The rift got worse when the duke and Meghan stepped down as working royals in January 2020 and moved to California to start a new life.

Things became even more tense between Harry and his entire family after he lobbed accusations against them in a 2021 CBS interview where he claimed they allegedly “leaked” and “planted” stories in the media about him and his wife.

Meghan, who is mixed race, alleged that “several” conversations were had by an unnamed royal family member during her first pregnancy about what color skin tone son Prince Archie would have. Harry made the same claim in the interview, although he said it took place before the pair were married.

Harry’s brother, Prince William, responded the following day to reporters who questioned him about the allegations, replying, “We are very much not a racist family.”

The duke went on to share private details about William and Kate in his 2023 memoir, Spare. He revealed his brother was uncircumcised and that they had a physical fight about Meghan. Harry also shared a tense private text exchange between Meghan and Kate, 42, over the princess’ daughter, Princess Charlotte’s, bridesmaid dress at Harry and Meghan’s wedding.

The last time Meghan saw Harry’s family was for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022. The Suits alum has not been back to England since then, except for a brief layover at Heathrow Airport in May while en route to a tour of Nigeria with Harry.

The duke has returned to England on several occasions since the funeral, mainly for his ongoing court cases against several newspapers. However, he also briefly flew to London in February after his father, King Charles III, revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer.

The monarch, 75, and his son only met for about half an hour before he and his wife, Queen Camilla, flew via helicopter to their country estate in Sandringham, England.

Harry and William both attended the funeral for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, on August 28 at St. Mary’s Church in Norfolk, England, but the pair reportedly didn’t interact.

“William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance,” a source told The Sun in an article published on August 29.