A spokesperson for the royal family insisted the 2018 image shared on their official accounts Sunday was not altered in any way.

Buckingham Palace denies cropping Meghan Markle out of photo of Prince Harry, shared on the royal family's social media pages.

A photograph shared by King Charles and Prince William to mark the Duke of Sussex ’s 40th birthday was not cropped to remove Meghan Markle, Buckingham Palace has said.

No, Buckingham Palace did not snub Meghan Markle in their 40th birthday tribute to Prince Harry. “The Duchess was not cropped out by Buckingham Palace,” royal sources told Us Weekly on Tuesday, September 17. “The image was provided to them by a picture agency, as a complete stand-alone image of The Duke.”

Meghan Markle was not deliberately cut out of a photo used to celebrate Prince Harry’s birthday, Buckingham Palace says. The close-up of Harry—snapped during a 2018 trip to Dublin back when the couple still held royal duties—was shared on X by Buckingham Palace on Sunday with the caption: “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!

Prince William, Kate Middleton, and King Charles made headlines on Sunday when they unexpectedly shared congratulatory birthday messages as Prince Harry turned 40. While some took the surprise gesture as an olive branch amidst their ongoing family feud–none of the royals have publicly wished Harry a happy birthday since 2021–some also accused the palace of subtly shading Meghan Markle with the image they chose.

The royal family came through and posted a happy birthday message to Prince Harry on his 40th birthday Sunday (September 15), prompting speculation that the royal feud could be over after 84 years (spoiler: it isn’t).