Meghan Markle Was 'Fuming' After the Royal Family Cropped Her Out of Their Birthday Tribute to Prince Harry

The royal family publicly acknowledged Prince Harry 's 40th birthday on Sunday, September 15, but they seemingly cropped Meghan Markle out of a photo with her husband in their social media posts.

"She’s happy for Harry because she knows how much this means to him, but she’s understandably upset, too," a source told an outlet. "She thinks it could be sending the message that it’s Harry they’re ready to forgive."

"It seems obvious they’d take him back in a heartbeat and, as usual, Meghan’s the one in the wrong," they added.

Meghan struggled to find her place within the monarchy, and the snapshot highlighted the status of the duchess' relationship with her in-laws .

"Picking an image without her in it felt symbolic and like a snub – whether intended or not – and by all accounts, she’s fuming about it," the source continued. "She refuses to be pushed out like this."

OK! previously reported royal experts believe the public birthday wish won't heal the rift between the Sussexes, Prince William and Kate Middleton .

"Harry and Meghan are certainly not welcome back as a team," American royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told an outlet. "I would argue they are not welcome back at all if Prince William has anything to say about it… But Harry could potentially get his foot in the door through his father."

"[But] it is not something the royal family is longing for," Schofield claimed.

When Harry and Meghan left the U.K., the couple's tell-all projects widened the wedge between them and the famous brood.

"The royal family will continue to keep Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a distance," Schofield explained. "The royal family is in a delicate position, health-wise, and do not trust Harry and Meghan."

"I don’t believe Harry and Meghan will be welcomed back as working members of the royal family on a part-time or full-time basis," she added.

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

In recent years, the royals have avoided acknowledging non-working royals' natal days online except for when they're entering a new decade.

"After Megxit and Prince Andrew ’s scandal, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace revised their social media protocol ," Schofield stated. "We were only made privy to this after the first year that the family didn’t wish Harry and Meghan a happy birthday online, and it was deemed a ‘snub.’"

"To avoid the drama of bringing up the chaos that surrounds some of the more well-known non-working royals, the new protocol dictates that the royal family will acknowledge the birthdays of non-working royals only on milestone birthdays," she explained. "Translation — birthdays that end in zero. This saves the family from having to re-live the Megxit and Jeffrey Epstein headlines at the same time every year."

Sources spoke to Heat .