Truth behind royal family’s brutal Meghan picture ‘snub’

Royal watchers were quick to accuse the royal family of a brutal act on Prince Harry’s birthday – but new details have now emerged.

IN LONDON

Buckingham Palace has denied accusations that Meghan Markle was cropped out of an official birthday tribute to Prince Harry.

King Charles and Queen Camilla’s official Twitter account unexpectedly posted a message wishing the Duke of Sussex “a very happy 40th birthday” on Sunday – their first acknowledgment of the occasion in three years – with the Prince and Princess of Wales re-sharing it.

The post featured a smiling image of Harry, taken in Dublin in 2018 during his and Meghan’s first overseas trip as a married couple, while they were still working royals.

The royals shared birthday tributes to Harry. Picture: X

Royal watchers were quick to notice that the original picture also featured the Duchess of Sussex, prompting widespread speculation she had been deliberately cut from the tribute amid her rift with her in-laws.

However, it has since emerged that both the single, cropped image of Harry as well as the wider version featuring Meghan, were uploaded by the Press Association to Getty Images at the same time six years ago.

A wider version of the picture featured Meghan. Picture: Jimmy Rainford - Pool/Getty Images

A Palace spokesman also confirmed to the UK’s Independent that the picture was not altered.

The official birthday tributes to Harry came as a surprise to many, given his well-publicised tension with the royal family.

The brothers are estranged. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

It’s understood he has some contact with his father, and even visited him in February following news of his cancer diagnosis, but he is completely estranged from Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales.

Meanwhile, Meghan’s own relationship with her husband’s family has been largely rocky from the start, with Harry detailing her strained introduction to royal life – particularly her interactions with William and Kate – in his memoir, Spare.

The decision to publicly honour Harry’s 40th has been viewed as a potential olive branch by the royal family, although it’s also likely to simply be in keeping with the precedent set by the late Queen, who reportedly recognised non-working royals’ milestone birthdays.

Originally published as Truth behind royal family’s brutal Meghan picture ‘snub’