Where’s Meghan? No sign of Markle in royal picture tributes marking Harry’s birthday
As Prince Harry celebrates his 36th birthday after a tumultuous year that saw him exit royal life, his brother Prince William has led tributes by posting a telling throwback photo.
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A photo posted on social media by Prince William to mark Prince Harry’s 36th birthday left royal watchers stunned when the choice of picture pointedly excluded Meghan Markle.
The snap harked back to happier times, before the brothers allegedly became estranged due to a royal rift sparked by Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle.
The photograph shows Harry beating William and Catherine in a race and was taken at London’s Olympic Park in February 2017, the same month that the Duke of Sussex met his future wife.
The image shows a grinning Harry, who famously beat Usain Bolt in a sprint when he took a sneaky head start, while Prince William struggled to keep up with Catherine further back.
“Wishing a very happy birthday to Prince Harry today,” the caption read.
The warm wishes were a marked departure from the frosty reception that Prince William and his brother gave each other at Prince Harry’s final royal engagement at Westminster Abbey in March.
In a series of royal tributes, the Queen posted an image of a smiling Prince Harry looking adoringly at his grandmother.
“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy birthday!” the Queen said.
Prince Charles sent a similar message, alongside a picture of him and Prince Harry at an Invictus Games event.
“Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duke of Sussex today!”, Prince Charles said.
Royal fans on Instagram noted that all three family accounts chose to use photos of Prince Harry but not Meghan Markle.
The omission had fans of Meghan, 39, up in arms and they quickly voiced their disapproval in the comments section.
“The shade of them using this pic rather than one including his wife,” wrote one person. “Interesting photo selection! No Meghan …”
“There must have been hundreds of photos you could have picked, but you chose to post one of Harry, William and Kate. I’m sure not including Meghan wasn’t unintentional,” another person commented.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be 8,500km away from the royal family, but the Duke of Sussex had a surprise guest for his 36th birthday.
His mother-in-law Doria Ragland is expected to make the 90-minute trip from Los Angeles to Montecito, Santa Barbara, on Tuesday.
She is due to arrive at the couple’s $20 million, 16-bathroom home that they have purchased to share with baby Archie, who has his own private playground.
The birthday celebrations would have been muted even if he was in the UK because of new coronavirus restrictions on gatherings of more than six people.
But this is the first time Prince Harry has celebrated a birthday since he quit the royal family on March 31.
Prince Harry has left the monarchy and signed a reported $250 million Netflix deal in his bid to become financially independent.
However, despite the public show of support on Tuesday, Prince William was reportedly angry with his brother at the Netflix deal.
The streaming giant will portray the tragic story of their late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in an upcoming series of the lavish program The Crown.
“William and other senior royals are incredibly uncomfortable about this drama and livid Harry is now in partnership with the company that’s airing it,” a source told Britain’s Daily Express.
“It’s the latest in a long line of flashpoints between the brothers, but there are few more sensitive subjects than the plight of their mother.
“Viewers of The Crown — which is a candid look at the Queen’s reign — wouldn’t expect the writers to ignore something which is now a matter of public record.
“But the royal family also wouldn’t expect one of their own to take money made by the profits of shows like this.”