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Prince Harry and the rest of his royal relatives have not always been on good terms. Although Harry and some of his cousins are still close, he has been having major problems with his father and brother, King Charles and Prince William, in recent years.

But Harry just turned 40, and in a shocking turn of events, the royal family wished him a happy birthday. Still, the alleged olive branch wasn’t enough for eagle-eyed royal fans, who quickly realized that the image the royal family shared of Harry was at an event where his wife, Meghan Markle, was sitting right next to him.

A slightly more zoomed out version of the image the royal family shared for Prince Harry's birthday
A slightly more zoomed out version of the image the royal family shared for Prince Harry’s birthday | Jimmy Rainford/Pool/Getty Images

Some people think the royal family of cropped Meghan Markle out of Prince Harry’s birthday picture

Harry and his family have had a difficult relationship. When Harry began dating Meghan, there were rumors that the family was uneasy with how fast the couple’s relationship was moving. And by the time the two wed, there were tensions between Harry, his father, and his brother. Things have hardly improved, although there was some hope this year when Harry said in an interview with ABC that he loves his family.

Despite no public appearances with his family this year, the royals did wish Harry a happy 40th birthday on social media, with a post coming from the royal family’s official account. William and Kate Middleton’s Instagram and X accounts shared a message, too. Still, while many called it an olive branch, some quickly realized that the larger image was actually a photo of Harry sitting next to his wife, Meghan, suggesting the family had cropped her out.

“We see what you did there,” one user wrote below William and Kate’s X shoutout for Harry. The comment included laughing emojis.

“Not her birthday so she got the photo chop,” another person joked.

“Isn’t it hilarious,” someone else wrote.

Of course, there is no telling that the royal family leaving Meghan out of the photo was intentional. Harry is laughing in the image, and perhaps they thought it made more sense to just zero in on his smiling face because the camera was not in focus on Meghan.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle haven’t returned to the UK together since 2022

Harry has voiced concern over the lack of security for his family; he worries something might happen to them if he brings them to the UK without proper protection. As a result, he and Meghan have not been in the country together since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral back in 2022. And as of right now, the Sussexes have no plans to return — with the exception of a Christmas invitation hanging in the balance.

Harry and Meghan have supposedly received an invite to spend Christmas with Princess Diana’s side of the family, where they are welcome to stay at Althorp. It remains unclear whether the two will accept the invite, but if Harry is serious about needing better security, then probably not.

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