Kate and Wills wish Harry a happy birthday on social media, and Meghan is noticeably absent

As the Royal Family flocks en masse to social media to wish 36-year-old Prince Harry many happy returns today, fans of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, are pointing out what they see as a glaring omission in the royal birthday wishes — especially the ones coming from Harry’s brother William and his wife Catherine. Because what is a day in the life of a British royal without at least a soupçon of drama?Well-wishes for Harry’s big day appeared on the Clarence House account (the ‘gram that represents Harry’s father, Prince Charles, and stepmother, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall) as well as on The Royal Family account (Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip’s Instagram homebase). The photos chosen for the former birthday message were of the Duke of Sussex with his dad at an Invictus Games event, plus a flattering solo photo of Harry looking his ginger best. As for the Queen’s account, it shared a charming snap of Harry giggling with his grandmother at the Queen’s Young Leaders reception at Buckingham Palace in 2017. But it’s the photograph shared by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that seems to have the royal-watchers on Team Meghan riled up the most.[video_embed id='2030708']RELATED: Harry and Meghan have paid off their $4.2 million royal debt[/video_embed]The couple also posted a photo from 2017 (notable for the fact that it was from the era before the birthday boy married Markle) which featured the three of them — William, Kate, and Harry — demonstrating their competitive spirit at a charity race in London benefiting their Heads Together project, a campaign dedicated to mental health and wellness. Viewed in a certain light, this particular photo can be seen as an especially pointed exclusion of Harry’s wife. Did the one of the most photographed families in the world not have a decent snap that featured both couples?

 

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Wishing a very happy birthday to Prince Harry today! ??

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Sep 15, 2020 at 12:01am PDT

Perhaps if the rest of the royals had appeared to have treated Markle more fairly from the start, the Instagram posts wouldn’t seem so loaded. But reports (ranging from the unkind to the blatantly racist) that the Duchess of Sussex has been subjected to a bitterly icy reception since her induction into the family give the exclusionary photos background and context — and it isn't the good kind.As for Harry himself, it looks as though he’ll be avoiding the controversy today. People reports that the Duke will be enjoying “some birthday celebrations quietly with the family.” Good on him.[video_embed id='2022354']Before you go: Bombshell book exposes why Harry and Meghan left the royal family[/video_embed]