Buckingham Palace did not crop Meghan Markle out of a photograph she used in a social media post to mark Prince Harry’s 40th birthday, MailOnline has learned.
Everyone was shocked when it was revealed that the Duchess appeared to have been cut out of the photograph which was taken when the couple were working for the royals.
The image taken by photographer Jimmy Rainford on July 11, 2018 shows Harry during a visit to start-up Dogpatch Labs in Dublin with Meghan by his side.
It was posted yesterday by King Charles and Queen Camilla’s @RoyalFamily account on X-Day and said: ‘Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!’
Prince William and Kate also shared the post with the image and added their own message which read: ‘Wishing a very happy 40th birthday to the Duke of Sussex!’
Prince Harry received a happy 40th birthday message from Prince William and Kate yesterday, including a photo of the duke that was first posted on Charles and Camilla’s X account.
The Royal Family’s official X account previously posted a birthday greeting for the Duke, with Harry’s image being a close-up version of a wider shot with Meghan.
Some saw the post as a surprise given the current tensions between the siblings, and the plot thickened when it was claimed Meghan had been removed.
But archive images have since revealed that two versions of the photo were published at the time in 2018: one with Harry, Meghan and four others in an argument; and another with just Harry.
Harry appears in exactly the same pose in both photos, suggesting he was cropped into a single image by the original photographer at the time.
And now MailOnline understands the photo was provided to Buckingham Palace in this unedited format by the Press Association, and then published uncropped.
Harry, who is living in California after leaving the working monarchy, spent his birthday yesterday with Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The original image of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visiting the Dogpatch startup hub in Dublin on July 11, 2018, which was taken by photographer Jimmy Rainford
The close-up image of Harry, which appears to have been cropped into an image by the original photographer at the time and published in the above form in addition to the wide shot.
He is then said to be heading to a meeting with close friends.
Harry also celebrated his birthday weekend by attending a charity tennis tournament on Saturday in honor of one of Meghan’s closest friends.
The Duke and Duchess appeared at the George Zajfen tennis tournament in Los Angeles in honour of Kelly McKee Zajfen’s late son George.
The Child Rights Alliance event was in memory of George, who died aged nine in July 2022 after being found unconscious in his family home.
Meghan is known to be good friends with Zajfen, co-founder of the alliance that supports pregnant and parenting teens in foster care.
In an Instagram post yesterday, on Harry’s birthday, model Zajfen and her family thanked the Sussexes for their support in Saturday’s competition.
(L-R) Meghan Markle, Kelly McKee Zajfen, daughter Lily, husband Julian and Prince Harry at the George Zajfen tennis tournament in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Along with five photos, they wrote at the end of a long message: “A very special day… HAPPY 40th birthday, H! May this trip around the sun be the best one yet.”
Harry enters his fifth decade in what has been a rollercoaster year for the royal family, with the King and Princess of Wales being diagnosed with cancer.
When the shock news about the King’s health was announced in February, Harry made a transatlantic trip to see him – but his meeting with his father lasted just 45 minutes.
In comments published on the BBC, the duke said: “I was looking forward to turning 30, I’m excited to turn 40,” and described how fatherhood had given him a renewed sense of purpose to make “this world a better place.”
This year, Harry has tried his hand at bobsleigh skeleton by joining the training of competitors for the Invictus Games in Canada, and has made quasi-royal trips to Colombia and Nigeria.
In Colombia, Meghan participated in a panel on Black Women and Power and recounted how her three-year-old daughter, Lili, had “absolutely found her voice.”
(L-R) Meghan Markle, Kelly McKee Zajfen, her husband Julian and Prince Harry attend the George Zajfen tennis tournament in Los Angeles on Saturday, a day before the duke’s birthday.
The couple also relaunched their Archewell website, rebranding it as Sussex.com under the title The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Harry travelled to London in May to mark a decade since his Invictus Games and attended a service at St Paul’s Cathedral, but did not meet his brother or father.
Birmingham has won the bid to host the sporting competition in 2027, and the Duke congratulated the city on its success and looks set to attend the games in the UK in three years’ time.
In July, Harry was awarded the Pat Tillman Service Award, given by sports network ESPN to people in the world of sport, for using his platform to “change the world.”
But Tillman’s mother, Mary, reportedly expressed surprise that the honor was given to “such a controversial and divisive individual.”
Harry hugs Kelly McKee Zajfen and Meghan hugs Julian at the tennis tournament on Saturday
In his speech, Harry praised Mrs Tillman, saying: “Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and I respect that. The bond between a mother and child is eternal and transcends even the greatest of losses.”
Meanwhile, The Sunday Times reported that her legal battle with the Home Office over her safety while in the UK had “frustrated” the King.
In February, Harry lost a High Court appeal against the Home Office over a decision to change his personal security level when visiting the UK, but has been given the green light to appeal.
During the case, the court was told that Harry believes his children cannot “feel at home” in the UK if it is “not possible to keep them safe” there and that he faces a greater risk than his late mother, with “additional layers of racism and extremism”.
Elsewhere, Meghan has started a new venture with the soft launch of her American Riviera Orchard brand when she sent limited-edition strawberry jam to friends, although the business has faced setbacks with her attempts to trademark it.
Prince Harry with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children Archie and Lilibet in 2021
Harry’s new Netflix documentary series about the world of polo will air in December.
The Duke briefly returned to the UK in August for the funeral of his uncle Lord Fellowes, when he stayed at Althorp, the ancestral home of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
She reportedly had no interaction with William at the church service.
The Duke has an upcoming trip to New York later this month, where he will make visits for his Archewell Foundation and engagements with African Parks, The Halo Trust, The Diana Award and Travalyst.