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Did The Queen Just Throw Shade At Prince Harry With This Birthday Message?

She did the same thing to Meghan Markle - by Chelsea Tromans
  • 18 Sep 2019

While the royal family are supposed to be on their best behaviour at all times, pretty much all of them slip up at some point. But not the Queen. She always sets a good example for her country, supports her family through their indiscretions, and never reveals her true feelings about the members of her royal family. 

Watch Below: Meghan Markle Makes Her First Appearance Since Welcoming Baby Archie. 

At least, not directly. 

It seems she’s been leaving behind some social breadcrumbs that hint at how she really feels about a couple of her family members. Namely, Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan Markle.

Take her birthday message to her grandson that was posted on her official Instagram last week (it was Harry’s birthday on Sunday 15th September). She posted a photo of her and Harry having a laugh - cute! - but it was what she wrote that left us feeling cold.

“Happy Birthday to The Duke of Sussex – 35 today!”, it read.

theroyalfamily View Profile
319.7k likes - View Post on Instagram
Happy Birthday to The Duke of Sussex - 35 today! #HappyBirthdayHRH 🎉 📸 Press Association

Emotionless and brief, it’s the kind of message you’d find pre-written in a card, where all you need to do is [insert name].

Think we’re reading too much into it? 

Here’s what she wrote for Prince William’s birthday on the 21st of June:

“Happy Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge! 🎂The Duke of Cambridge is second in line to the throne. His Royal Highness undertakes a number of charitable activities and projects, and carries out public and official duties in support of The Queen, in the UK and overseas, alongside The Duchess of Cambridge. Find out more about The Duke’s life and work @kensingtonroyal.”

theroyalfamily View Profile
426k likes - View Post on Instagram
Happy Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge! 🎂 #HappyBirthdayHRH The Duke of Cambridge is second in line to the throne. His Royal Highness undertakes a number of charitable activities and projects, and carries out public and official duties in support of The Queen, in the UK and overseas, alongside The Duchess of Cambridge. Find out more about The Duke's life and work @kensingtonroyal

So much more thought and adoration went into those words. He even got a plug for his Instagram account!

Just for fun, let’s also take a look at the birthday messages Queen Elizabeth posted for their wives.

For Meghan Markle’s birthday on August 4th, the Queen’s message read:

“Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Sussex. 🎂The Duchess was born on this day in 1981.”

theroyalfamily View Profile
335.5k likes - View Post on Instagram
Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Sussex. 🎂 The Duchess was born on this day in 1981. 📷 PA Images @sussexroyal

Brrr. She didn't even get an exclamation point.

In contrast, for the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton’s birthday (January 9th), the Queen had plenty of high praise to go alongside her birthday wishes:

“Happy Birthday to HRH The Duchess of Cambridge! The Duchess undertakes royal duties in support of The Queen, both in the UK and overseas – and devotes her time to supporting charitable causes and organisations, several of which are centred around providing children with the best possible start in life.”

The proof is in the captions people.

theroyalfamily View Profile
339k likes - View Post on Instagram
Happy Birthday to HRH The Duchess of Cambridge! The Duchess undertakes royal duties in support of The Queen, both in the UK and overseas - and devotes her time to supporting charitable causes and organisations, several of which are centred around providing children with the best possible start in life. 📷PA
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Chelsea Tromans
Chelsea Tromans
Chelsea Tromans is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle editor whose words can be found on BEAUTYcrew, marie claire, Women’s Health, WHO, Daily Addict, and The Joye, just to name a few. She’s a night owl who’s trying to train herself to be a morning person (coffee helps!) and she recently traded in her hectic Sydney life for a quieter pace in Brisbane.

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