The Queen hints her bond with Meghan Markle is still strong as she shares sweet photo

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as the Royal family attend events to mark the Centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty)

The Queen has indicated that her bond with Meghan Markle is still strong despite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's ongoing tensions with the royal family, sharing a sweet photo of her to mark Prince Harry's birthday.

  • Prince Harry marked his 37th birthday and his grandmother, the Queen, made sure to wish him well on her royal Instagram account.
  • Her Majesty shared three special photos of Prince Harry on his big day, including one of him and Meghan, seemingly showing that she still shares a sweet bond with the couple. Meanwhile Prince William and Prince Charles left Meghan out of their birthday wishes on social media.
  • This royal news comes after sad news for Prince Harry and Meghan was revealed as they missed out on a huge honour.

Paying tribute to Prince Harry online, the Queen's official Instagram and Twitter accounts posted multiple snaps of her third-born grandson, alongside the caption, "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a happy birthday today!"

The Queen's inclusion of Meghan Markle in the touching post is likely an indication that the monarch's relationship with Meghan is still going strong, despite the shockwaves caused by her and Prince Harry when they spoke out about their time within the royal family during their Oprah Winfrey interview this year.

During the interview, Meghan alluded to her close rapport with his grandmother-in-law, despite recalling the tough times she faced before stepping back as a senior royal in early 2020.

The former Suits star admitted that the Queen reminds her of her own grandmother, explaining that she personally reached out to Her Majesty when she heard the late Prince Philip had fallen ill this year.

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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were also among the royals who marked Prince Harry's big day.

Charles and Camilla shared multiple images of Prince Harry from earlier royal engagements on their Clarence House social media accounts, including one of Charles and Harry in South Africa in 1997.

The adorable throwback image was taken on Prince Harry's first trip outside of the UK since Princess Diana's tragic death. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall penned,  "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very Happy Birthday today."

Meanwhile, Prince William and simply shared one image of Harry, penning, "Happy Birthday Prince Harry!"

Both Kate and William and Charles and Camilla opted against sharing snaps of Meghan alongside their birthday messages, potentially due to the reportedly strained relationship between the Sussexes and the royals.

Since stepping down from royal duties with wife Meghan in March 2020, Harry has returned to the UK twice.

In April, he flew in for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, and in July, he and the Duke of Cambridge unveiled a statue of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, at Kensington Palace.

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Meghan Markle has yet to formally mark Prince Harry's birthday, but it's expected that the Sussexes will celebrate privately at their new LA home with their two-year-old son, Archie, and three-month-old daughter, Lilibet.

During his chat with Oprah, Harry admitted that he and William are "on different paths" since his royal exit, adding that Prince Charles stopped taking his phone calls when he left the UK.

The royal family also disputed racism claims, after Harry and Meghan alleged than an unnamed member of The Firm made a remark about the colour of baby Archie's skin, before he was born.

Kudzai Chibaduki
Features Writer

Kudzai Chibaduki joined Future as a trainee news writer for Good To, writing about fashion, entertainment, and beauty. She's now a freelance fashion wardrobe stylist and helps direct magazine photoshoots.