Meghan Markle May Get A Birthday Message From King Charles — But Not These Royals, Experts Say
Markle celebrates her 45th birthday today, and as royal protocol, there will be no public wishes for the Duchess.
Meghan Markle is celebrating her 45th birthday today, a significant milestone that comes on the heels of a private audience with King Charles at his royal residence in Highgrove last month. The meeting has sparked speculation that their relationship may have turned cordial after almost four years of estrangement. While the royal family has maintained radio silence and refrained from wishing the Duchess publicly in recent years, and there are still many challenges within the royal fold towards complete reconciliation, a royal expert has shed light on who might extend warm wishes on Markle's special day this year, and which of the royal members might choose to snub her altogether.
"The king is a scrupulously polite man, and I’m quite certain he would wish to send his daughter-in-law his birthday wishes," royal commentator Tom Skyes told Page Six. After all, the King did walk Markle down the aisle on her wedding day, so it is expected that the monarch might reach out with similar affection. He might even send out a "modest gift" through his palace staff or a "quiet" greeting, another royal expert, Kinsey Schofield, believes. "Charles has always had a compassionate streak, and despite everything that’s happened, he has rarely gone out of his way to be overtly unkind toward Meghan," she highlighted. "A discreet gesture would be entirely in keeping with his character." Meanwhile, Skyes continued that one royal couple will be missing from the happy family picture, and it is none other than the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The Waleses remained conspicuously absent from the royal reunion at Highgrove last month, with reports suggesting they were left feeling "humiliated" after the King orchestrated the meeting with the Sussexes without informing them. "I don’t think they will be expecting any [birthday wishes] from Prince William and Catherine," Skyes noted. Schofield also claimed that the future king and queen won't be reaching out to the Duchess in "any capacity," as they still blame her for causing a rift within the royal fold. "The relationship simply isn’t there anymore," the royal expert stated. "They believe Meghan played a significant role in the breakdown of family trust." Schofield added that any suggestion that the Prince and Princess of Wales are secretly exchanging birthday wishes is more wishful thinking than reality.
Skyes further explained that, like the previous years, Markle's special day won't be acknowledged through any of the royal family's official channels. "There’s absolutely no way anything will be put on social media feeds or anything like that," he stated. This remains in accordance with the Sussexes' current position after they stepped back from official duties in 2020. Schofield also added that the monarchy won't be breaking any protocols for the Duchess, who celebrated her 44th birthday with family and friends at Funke in Beverly Hills last year.
