Meghan Markle celebrated her 42nd birthday on Friday, but the royal family remained silent on social media, offering no well-wishes. The Duchess of Sussex chose to spend her special day watching the “Barbie” movie with friends, excluding her husband, Prince Harry, from the outing.
While Meghan received birthday greetings from her friends and fans on social media, there was a noticeable absence of public messages from the royal family this year. Last year, for her 41st birthday, the royals, including Prince William, Princess Kate, King Charles, and Queen Camilla, all publicly shared birthday messages for Meghan on social media.
This year, however, there were no public greetings from the royal family, following a pattern of silence that was also observed when their daughter, Princess Lilibet, turned two on June 4 and when their first-born child, Prince Archie, celebrated his fourth birthday on May 6.
The relationship between Harry and Meghan and the royal family has been strained since the couple stepped down as senior working members of the Firm in 2020. Their move to the US resulted in various high-profile projects, such as a Netflix documentary, a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey, and Harry’s upcoming memoir.
Although Charles is believed to maintain contact with the Sussexes, even he reportedly snubbed them from the Royal Family’s gathering to mark one year since the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The couple was not invited to the intimate event at Balmoral Castle on Sept. 8, despite being in Europe for the Invictus Games the next day.
On a separate note, Meghan and Harry are scheduled to make their first joint European appearance in Düsseldorf, Germany, 24 hours after the royals’ gathering in Balmoral. This appearance will mark their first since the late monarch’s funeral in September 2022.
