Meghan Markle stated, “I won’t be pushed out.”

It was always going to be a milestone birthday for former party Prince Harry, who started his thirties a single, senior working royal, and ended them a married father-of-two with a new life in California.

His life has changed beyond all recognition in a decade, but his 40th celebrations were made even more momentous last week by the surprise well-wishes he received via social media from his estranged father and brother. Taking to their respective Instagram pages, King Charles and Prince William, together with Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales, paid tribute to the self-exiled prince. First, the royal family’s official social media page wrote, ‘Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!’ alongside a beaming picture of Harry, which was taken during a visit to the start-up Dogpatch in Dublin in 2018, when he was still a working royal. Then, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared the same post to their stories, writing their own message alongside it with, ‘Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex.’

The messages may have been short and sweet, but they were mighty in meaning. After all, it’s not protocol to publicly wish non-working members of the royal family a happy birthday – which is why neither Harry nor Meghanhave, in a post-Megxit world, received celebratory nods from the palace. What’s more, relations between Harry and his estranged family are said to be enduringly frosty, with the two brothers reportedly no longer on speaking terms – and the upcoming October release of Harry’s incendiary memoir, Spare, in paperback making things even frostier. So, by breaking with convention and commemorating Harry’s birthday, was the palace making it clear that the door is now open for a Sussex peace deal?

If they were, there might be one snag – and that’s where the Duchess of Sussex fits into the picture, quite literally. No sooner had the royal family shared the photo of Harry last week, than eagle-eyed fans noticed his wife Meghan, who was next to him in the ‘original’ photo, was missing.

It has since emerged that two versions of the image exist. One with Meghan sitting next to Harry and one without, and both versions were released by the photographer in 2018. Naturally, there’s no suggestion the palace chose with any intent but, according to insiders, that hasn’t stopped the Duchess of Sussex from taking it personally. By seeming to cut her out for whatever reason, we’re told she’s taking it as a not-so-subtle message. And having long felt like she’s persona non grata, this has made her even more convinced that – as far as reconciling with Harry’s family – she’s still well out of the frame.