Earlier this week, Meghan Markle celebrated her 44th birthday.
Taking to Instagram, she shared a sweet snap of herself, gushing in the caption: "Blowing out the candles on a beautiful 24 hours, and thanking my husband, friends and family for making it so special.
"To those of you I don’t know, but who send love every day - thank you so much. Please know I feel it and appreciate it."
Tragically, however, the Duchess of Sussex missed out on one particularly important message from her family, which critics believe should have been issued by her husband's family - the British monarchy.
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That's right, neither Prince Harry's father ,King Charles III, his stepmother, Queen Camilla, brother Prince William, nor sister-in-law Kate Middleton fired a social media tribute in the birthday girl's direction.
And it's not like they can't have known it was Meghan's big day, being that the mother-of-two was bestowed with a vast plethora of well wishes - including one from her own lifestyle brand, As Ever.
The firm's official Instagram account penned: "Celebrating the woman behind it all. She pours her heart, vision & magic touch into every detail, and today, we raise a glass to her! Happy birthday to our founder @meghan."
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And though some fans of the former Suits actress have wondered why 40-year-old Harry himself didn't commemorate the big day with a gushy upload, the Prince can somewhat be forgiven, being that he's not on social media.
Some individuals that are active online, however, are different members of the monarchy. Not only do the King and Queen have their own joint account (with the handle @theroyalfamily), but William and Kate do, too (@princeandprincessofwales).
Sadly, however, no special shout-out to Meghan was given.
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After some fans of the Duchess issued her their commiserations over the matter, others went on to suggest a reason she may have been left out in the cold by her husband's family.
"BRF [British Royal Family] doesn’t post birthday messages to non-working royals except for decades," one wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"If she’s still in the family at 50, she’ll get one then. No need to run this story until then."
Another agreed: "Birthday greetings are only posted for the working family."
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"Non-working Royals do not receive public birthday wishes from the RF unless it is a milestone birthday," a third continued.
"Official birthday wishes will be posted when both MeMe and JustHarry turn 50."
A handful of social media users simply went on to question the concern as a whole, asking of Meghan's birthday tribute: "Why would she?"
Another also asked: "Why would they? The RF only recognize working -,yes working - members of the RF birthdays."
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Whilst nothing of the sort has ever been confirmed, other users wondered whether the damning allegations the Duchess previously made against several high-profile royals may have had a part to play in why she failed to receive a birthday wish.
For those in need of a reminder, in 2023, she and Harry spoke out on the maltreatment they'd allegedly faced from his family, including a heartbreaking revelation that they were reportedly asked about their son Archie's skin tone - alongside bullying on the part of both William and Kate.
Suggesting these allegations may serve as a reason for Meghan's birthday neglect, one X user wrote: "Why should they? Meghan has publicly criticised the Royal Family for years; interviews, documentaries, books. Actions have consequences.
"You can’t throw people under the bus and expect birthday wishes in return."
Another hit out: "The bridge to Harry's family was torched to ashes by Markle."
Topics: Meghan Markle, Royal Family, UK News
Rhianna Benson