Royal family use picture cropping out Meghan Markle for Prince Harry’s 40th birthday
Harry’s wife was missing from the photograph used by his family
The royal family wished Prince Harry a happy 40th birthday using a picture cropping out his wife Meghan Markle.
The Duchess of Sussex was noticeably missing from the well wishes which appeared on the royal family’s official social media on Sunday and was retweeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The message, which also included a birthday cake emoji, used a 2018 photograph of Harry while he was still a working royal and was taken in Dublin during a visit with Meghan.
It was the first time the royal family shared a public message for Harry since wishing him a happy birthday in 2021.
He spent his milestone birthday on Sunday with Meghan and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. He is then said to be heading away for a gathering with close friends.
Harry enters his fifth decade in what has been a rollercoaster year for the royal family, with both the King and the Princess of Wales diagnosed with cancer.
But the duke, who lives in California after stepping down from the working monarchy, remains estranged from his brother the Prince of Wales and faces a strained relationship with Charles.
When the King’s shock health news was announced in February, Harry made a transatlantic dash to see him but his meeting with his father was kept to just 45 minutes.
In comments released to the BBC, the duke said “I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40”, and described how fatherhood had given him a renewed sense of purpose to make “this world a better place”.
