A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace insisted to the Independent Monday that the 2018 image shared on the family’s official accounts was not altered in any way and was used in the format they received it from a photo agency.
The outlet noted that the Duke of Sussex was captured from several different angles — both with and without his wife — and the original and cropped versions were uploaded to Getty Images at the time.
Buckingham Palace denied cropping Meghan Markle out of an image celebrating Prince Harry’s birthday. Archewell Foundation via Getty Images The office of King Charles III insisted the photo was not altered in any way. Getty Images
A royal source also tells Page Six that the claims Markle was removed are baseless since many photos were taken of Harry that day.
Speculation of a snub swirled earlier Monday when royal watchers noticed that the Duchess of Sussex, 43, appeared to have been cropped out of a photo of her husband that Buckingham Palace shared in honor of the duke’s milestone birthday Sunday.
“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” wrote the official X account of the royal family, which is run by Harry’s dad King Charles III’s office.
The royal family posted a photo of the Duke of Sussex from 2018 in celebration of his 40th birthday Sunday. RoyalFamily/X Other images from that same day showed Markle sitting right next to him. Getty Images
The post was then reshared by Harry’s brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, via their official Prince and Princess of Wales X account with the message, “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”
The image in question showed Harry smiling solo while visiting Dogpatch Labs in Dublin in 2018.
One snap taken at the time depicted Markle seated right next to the prince at a table with other people, while others captured just Harry in the frame.
The birthday message was the first time in three years that the royal family has acknowledged Harry’s birthday. AFP via Getty Images Markle and Harry resigned from their royal duties in 2020. Archewell Foundation via Getty Images
The shout-out was especially significant considering it was the first time in three years that the royal family has publicly acknowledged Harry’s birthday.
The move skews from a protocol implemented by Charles, 75, after Queen Elizabeth II’s September 2022 death that the palace would limit social media posts to highlight only working members of the royal family.
Harry and Markle resigned from their royal duties in January 2020, sparking tension between the couple and the Invictus Games founder’s kin.
The couple have been estranged from Harry’s family members since they moved to California. MEGA Charles has reportedly expressed interest in reconciling with the “Spare” author. WireImage
The prince and the “Suits” alum subsequently moved to California — where they reside with their two children , Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3 — and proceeded to bash the royal family in several interviews and in his memoir, “ Spare .”
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