Meghan Markle appeared to be ignored by The Firm again yesterday as they made no mention of her 43rd birthday.
The Duchess of Sussex has received messages from other senior members of The Firm in previous years.
Fans of the royals may see this as evidence of the strained relations between the Sussexes and the Waleses, and also between King Charles and Queen Camilla in recent months.
They also made no comment about Meghan’s 42nd birthday last year, her first birthday since Charles became king following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022.
Royal aides said they only marked the birthdays of working members of the royal family on their official social media accounts.
But this was different from what members of the royal family had done before.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and King Charles were photographed at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2018
The Duchess of Sussex has received messages from other senior working members of The Firm in previous years, but not before her 42nd or 43rd birthday (pictured in July)
The Sussexes gave up their roles as senior working members of the royal family in January 2020, before moving to the US in June of that year, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But William and Kate shared a message with their millions of social media followers two years after their departure, publicly wishing Prince Harry’s wife a happy birthday as she turned 41.
On August 4, 2022, William and Kate sent a message to Meghan on X (formerly Twitter) from their official account, saying, “Wishing the Duchess of Sussex a happy birthday!”
Their post, which was posted at 9:01 a.m., also included a photo of Meghan in a white outfit and hat, taken during her visit to the U.K. a few months earlier to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
Charles, then the Prince of Wales, and Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, also sent a message to mark Meghan’s 41st birthday, writing, “Happy birthday Duchess of Sussex!” with a red balloon emoji.
Since leaving The Firm, Harry and Meghan gave an explosive interview to Oprah about their experiences as royals in 2021.
The couple’s shocking interview sent shockwaves around the world as the couple revealed the extent of their rift with the Queen and other senior members of the royal family.
Meghan Markle is pictured arm in arm with her husband Prince Harry in 2018, alongside Prince William, Kate and King Charles (who was prince at the time)
The Sussexes (pictured in 2018) gave up their roles as senior working members of the royal family in January 2020, before moving to the US in June of that year.
They then signed a deal with Netflix and released their docuseries Harry & Meghan in December 2022, before the prince released his controversial autobiography Spare, which was published in January last year.
In the book, he claimed that he begged his father not to marry Camilla because he feared she would be a “wicked stepmother.”
Harry also claimed his brother, Prince William, “punched him to the ground” in 2019 during a row over his marriage to Meghan.
Since then, Meghan has not attended the King’s coronation in May 2023, and Harry has been seated away from key family members.
Harry was also in London earlier this year in May for an Invictus Games event, but did not meet his father during his lightning visit, despite being just three miles away from his father at Clarence House.
The prince had hoped to meet his estranged father, the king, during his trip, which follows an earlier brief visit in February after Charles was diagnosed with cancer.
But Harry’s spokesman said at the time: ‘In response to many questions and ongoing speculation about whether the Duke will be able to meet his father in the UK this week, I can say that unfortunately this will not be possible due to His Majesty’s busy schedule.
‘The Duke obviously understands his father’s diary full of commitments and other priorities and hopes to see him again soon.’
When the 42-year-old Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis to the world in late March, the Duke and Duchess released a short statement to Harper’s Bazaar and said, “We wish her health and recovery.”
Meghan’s birthday this year falls on the same day that her rare joint interview with Prince Harry airs on CBS Sunday Morning.
Meghan’s birthday this year falls on the same day that her rare joint interview with Prince Harry airs on CBS Sunday Morning
The mother-of-two has spoken out about how she wants to protect her children from harmful online content after revealing she was bullied by internet trolls on social media while pregnant with both children.
She told the television show in the preview: “Our children are young, 3 and 5. They are wonderful, but as parents you just want to protect them.
“When we see what’s happening online, we know there’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re happy to be able to contribute to a positive change.”
It is believed that Meghan celebrated her birthday this year in private with close family and friends, as she has done before.
And it appears the Sussexes are also preparing for their ‘quasi’ royal trip to Colombia, after Colombia’s Vice President Francia Márquez announced the couple would be visiting the country.
Prince Harry announced his desire to travel more during their trip to Africa earlier this year, causing a huge stir.