The Queen, Kate and William share touching messages for Meghan on her 40th birthday

4 August 2021, 11:15

By Alice Dear

Members of the Royal Family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Charles and Camilla, have wished Meghan Markle a happy 40th birthday.

Meghan Markle marks her 40th birthday today, and has already been inundated with birthday wishes from members of the royal family.

The Duchess of Sussex, who now lives in Los Angeles with husband Prince Harry and their two children Archie and Lilibet, received touching messages from Kate Middleton and Prince William, Prince Charles and Camilla, and the Queen herself.

On the Royal Family's Twitter page, three pictures of Meghan were shared – one with the Queen taken from their first royal engagement together, one with Harry and Archie and another just with her husband.

The caption read: "Wishing The Duchess of Sussex a very Happy Birthday today!"

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Kate Middleton and Prince William also shared a picture on their social media of Meghan, taken during a royal tour of Africa, with the caption: "Wishing a happy 40th birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!"

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall followed suit, posting a picture of Meghan smiling with the caption: "Wishing The Duchess of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday."

These birthday wishes come amid continued tension between Harry and Meghan and the institution following their departure from the family as well as their explosive Oprah interview.

Royal commentator Phil Dampier told The Sun earlier this week that he would expect birthday wishes from the Royal Family to Meghan, but that they would be through "gritted teeth".

He told the publication: "I think it is likely they will send a public message through gritted teeth.

"But whether a present will be sent privately, I don't know, such is the state of the relationship.

"I think Charles, the Queen, and William and Kate don't want to make the situation worse by having a public slanging match with them, but privately I think they are very upset by how things have turned out.

"They're not obliged to give her messages on her birthday, but they don't want to make the it worse."

While Meghan and Harry have kept their plans for the big day secret, sources have told Page Six that due to the couple having only welcomed Lilibet two months ago, they would be spending the day with just immediate family.

A brief timeline of Meghan and Harry's royal journey

• November 2016: Harry confirms his relationship with Meghan in a statement condemning the harassment of his girlfriend and her family
• October 2017: Meghan appears on the cover of Vanity Fair and calls relationship with a member of the royal family "challenging"
• November 2017: Meghan and Harry announce their engagement
• May 2018: Meghan and Harry wed at Windsor Castle
• October 2018: Meghan and Harry announce they are expecting their first baby
• May 2019: Meghan and Harry welcome baby Archie and pose for pictures with the newborn at Windsor Castle
• June 2019: Meghan and Harry relocate from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage
• July 2019: Archie is christened in a private ceremony as Meghan and Harry choose to not disclose his chosen godparents
• October 2019: Meghan and Harry embark on a Royal tour of Africa and later star in an ITV documentary titled Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. In the TV show, Meghan opens up about struggling with the press while Harry appeared to confirm a rift between himself and his brother William.
• December 2019: Meghan, Harry and Archie spend Christmas in Canada instead of at Sandringham Palace with the rest of the Royal Family.
• January 2020: Meghan and Harry announce that they will be stepping down as 'senior' members of the Royal Family.
• July 2020: Meghan and Harry move to Santa Barbara, California
• September 2020: Netflix announce Meghan and Harry have founded their own production company
• November 2020: Meghan opens up about suffering a miscarriage in July
• February 2021: Meghan and Harry announce they're having another baby
• February 2021: Buckingham Palace announce Meghan and Harry will no longer work for the Royal Family
• March 2021: Meghan and Harry sit down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview
• April 2021: Harry attends Prince Philip's funeral while Meghan stays in the US due to pregnancy
• June 2021: Meghan and Harry welcome a little girl who they name Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor after the Queen and Princess Diana.