'Eyebrow raising!' Meghan’s lack of birthday message from Queen was to protect Camilla
MEGHAN MARKLE'S lack of birthday message from the Queen was made to protect Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, a royal expert has suggested.
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Meghan turned 41 last Wednesday but despite the royal tradition of wishing members of the family a Happy Birthday, the Queen remained silent. Speculating about the reasoning for the absence, Royal expert Daniela Elser said: "Something has clearly changed because here we have the Queen essentially blanking Meghan on her birthday." The expert said that the explanation "may or may not have something to do with Harry’s memoir, rumoured to be hitting shelves in October."
She explained: "Since the beginning of the year, there has been nearly continuous reporting claiming that Harry may well target his stepmother.
"The heir to the throne, it would seem, is already getting his starched and ironed knickers in a twist."
Ms Elser described the Queen's lack of well-wishes on Meghan's birthday as being "seriously eyebrow-raising".
However, Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer reported the absence of a birthday message for Meghan Markle is the result of a change in policy.
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He said the Royal Family "will only mark the birthdays of non-working members of the family when they end in a zero."
But Ms Elser said: "The bottom line is that no matter why the Royal Family decided to give Meghan the brush-off, being the first non-working member of the House of Windsor to come in for a regal blanking on their birthday, has some serious sting in the tail.
"If Her Majesty had been concerned that cold-shouldering the LA native might inflame tensions, or wanted to keep the peace with the fractious Sussexes, surely the palace would have waited to roll this new social media approach until after the Duchess’ birthday."
Reports have speculated that Harry's book will hit shelves just before the festive season.
According to Penguin, Harry's memoir will "share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses and life lessons that have helped shape him".
When the book was announced, Prince Harry said: "I’m writing this not as the Prince I was born, but as the man I have become.
"I've worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story - the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned - I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think."
He said he is keen to share the first "accurate and wholly truthful" account of his own life.
Previously, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams warned the revelations in the book might be a "problem" for Prince Harry's relationship with Prince William.
Speaking on ToDiForDaily's podcast, he said: "Both brothers were inseparable.
"And there’s no doubt that one of the tragedies is that they’ve taken very, very different roads.
"And I see no, no rift being healed, unfortunately, because what you’re looking at now is a memoir that Harry is writing that’s coming out in the autumn now.
"The problem is what is going to be in that book.
"It’s very difficult after Oprah, which is just over a year ago, and I thought it was so destructive, and also open to different interpretations."