Kate Middleton and Prince William Gave Meghan Markle a Short Birthday Tribute Amid Distant Relationship Reports

From ELLE

Meghan Markle turns 39 today, an occasion that the Duchess of Sussex will be celebrating privately and off-line in Los Angeles. But the royal family, including Kate Middleton and Prince William, is marking the occasion publicly on their social media.

Despite reports of relationships being strained after Meghan and Prince Harry stepped back from their senior royal family roles earlier this year, all the major senior royal family members have posted short, courteous Instagram tributes to Meghan. Meghan and Harry, for what it's worth, have no active social media accounts right now, so there won't be any comments from them back, and it's not even guaranteed they'll see the posts.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ended their SussexRoyal Instagram after their final events back in March. They have yet to launch social media accounts for their new non-profit Archewell. (Archewell's launch has been delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.)

The royals' birthday posts still show a sense of polite support and unity in the family. They come after excerpts of royal reporters Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie's upcoming book Finding Freedom recently revealed that Meghan and Kate "struggled to move past the distant politeness of when they first met." The authors went on to detail how William's concerns that Harry was moving too fast with Meghan while they were still dating created a rift between the brothers that only worsened over time. Kate "did little to bridge the divide," the two wrote, adding that while it wasn't "necessarily her responsibility" to mend things, Kate was "fiercely loyal to her husband and his family."

But now, Meghan and Harry have left the UK and are making a new life in the U.S. And the royal family would like everyone to know they're still thinking of Meghan today and wishing her the best. Here, all their tributes:

Kate and William wrote on their Kensington Palace Instagram, "Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex today! 🎂🎈"

The Queen's Royal Family Instagram wrote, "🎂🎈Wishing The Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday! 📸 The Queen and The Duchess are pictured during a joint visit to Chester in 2018."

And Prince Charles wrote on his Clarence House Instagram "Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Sussex! 🎈"

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