Meghan Markle's birthday 'snub' explained as Royal Family stays silent on her 45th
Meghan Markle's birthday 'snub' explained as Royal Family stays silent on her 45th
Sophia Papamavroudi, Hollie Beale Wed, August 5, 2026 at 2:51 PM UTC
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Meghan Markle turned 45 this week (Image: Getty)
Meghan Markle received no public birthday messages from the Royal Family this week, and there appears to be a legitimate explanation. The Duchess of Sussex celebrated her 45th birthday on Tuesday, August 4.
Yet, the Royal Family did not acknowledge the milestone with a public statement, mirroring their approach from the previous year.
While some observers might interpret this as a "snub," a lesser-known royal protocol provides clarification. The guideline was established in 2022, during the final years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
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The social media policy stipulates that the Royal Family will only publicly acknowledge birthdays of non-working royals when they reach ages ending in zero, typically regarded as milestone celebrations.
When Meghan celebrated her 41st birthday in 2022, the late Queen's X account made no mention of it, prompting numerous royal commentators to characterize it as a "snub," despite having wished her a happy 40th birthday the previous year.
The royals wishing Meghan Markle a happy birthday (Image: X)
In 2021, they posted three photographs featuring the Duchess alongside the caption: "Wishing the Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday today!".
The royals similarly acknowledged Prince Harry's birthday when he reached 40 in 2024. On Tuesday, Meghan offered a peek into her birthday festivities at home.
She initially posted two black-and-white photographs of herself leaping into a pool while clutching birthday balloons.
The royals did wish Meghan Markle a happy birthday on her 45th birthday (Image: Getty)
The Royal Family's social media channels stayed silent on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
They were paired with the caption: "Thank you for the birthday love!"
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Later that day, she uploaded two additional videos to her Instagram stories, providing her followers a window into her special day. Meghan was captured dancing in her Montecito, California, kitchen, positioned beside a kitchen island adorned with large happy birthday balloons.
She appeared barefoot and casually attired in white pajamas, consisting of white pants and an oversized T-shirt displaying the phrase "It's giving Mrs."
Her hair was styled in a bun beneath a "birthday" tiara.
Prince Harry, who likely filmed the clip, could be heard laughing in the background and remarking: "Oh dear."
Their breakfast preparation was also visible and seemed to include bagels, tomatoes, herbs, and cheese, with some form of meat cooking in the pan, while the plate was decorated with flowers.
In the second clip, their two dogs, beagle Mia and Labrador Pula, were also shown participating in the festivities, wearing matching birthday hats.
Harry can once more be heard commenting: "Oh dear."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
