King Charles and Prince William use photo of Prince Harry with Meghan Markle cropped out in 40th birthday message

In what appeared to be a brief end to hostilities, the Duke of Sussex’s 40th birthday was marked on the Royal Family’s social media alongside a photo of him beaming.

On X, the note and picture was shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales account with the message: “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex.”

Tellingly, it did not include their personal “W & C” sign-off — but
the two messages were The Firm’s first nod to Duke of Sussex
Harry’s birthday in two years.

The photo picked was taken in Dublin back in 2018, when Harry – donning a grey suit and white shirt – was still a working royal.

It was his and Meghan Markle’s visit overseas as a married couple.

But the original snap shows Meghan, 43, sitting next to him.

It appears she was cropped out of the picture by the photographer at the time.

Megxit followed in 2020, since when Harry has hurled insults and accusations at his family, including in a Netflix docuseries and his 2023 biography Spare.

Last year the royals declined to publicly celebrate Harry’s 39th birthday.

Harry was heard admitting he hadn’t heard from his family when asked by a well-wisher at the 2023 Invictus Games in Germany.

The royals’ silence came after Harry released his memoir Spare, which blasted his entire family – including William, Kate and Camilla.

This year the prince is marking his 40th birthday with family and friends at his £11million mansion in California.

He will then jet off for a “weekend getaway” with a few close friends, The Sun revealed this week.

It is not yet known where Harry will go or who will join him on the trip.

But the group is unlikely to include his brother William – as he and Harry have not spoken for more than two years.

The band of brothers could include Harry’s polo BFF, his “second dad” and a “party animal” pal.

Harry is reportedly asking former aides to help him plan a comeback from his US exile and spend more time in Britain.

The Duke of Sussex is said to be consulting people “from his old life” after growing frustrated with American PR experts.

Harry reportedly plans to spend more time in the UK in a bid to repair his relationship with King Charles.

The strategy could see a “rehabilitated” Harry stage a partial return to royal life.

But insiders said Harry and Meghan are not seeking a permanent return from California.

A source told the Mail: “Harry is turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists and is seeking counsel from his old friends and associates.

“He is clearly reaching out thinking, ‘I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working’.”