Meghan Markle was reportedly crushed she wasn't invited to Barack Obama's 60th birthday party and had hoped to be a special guest, a royal expert has claimed.
Both the Duchess of Sussex, now 40, and Barack, 60, celebrated their birthday on August 4, but Meghan was disappointed over not receiving the former president's invite, reports say.
Though the royal couple said they were unable to attend the "amazing party" at Obama's swanky seven-bedroom Massachusetts mansion on Saturday, she "desperately wanted to be the special guest", royal insider Angela Levin wrote in The Sun.
Covid restrictions forced the Obamas to slash the guest list down from an enormous 475.
However, Harry and Meghan were never even on the original list, Ms Levin claimed.
The couple were noticeably absent from the party guests, which included hundreds of A-listers, like George and Amal Clooney, Steven Spielberg, and Jay-Z and Beyonce.
The apparent snub could signal a dwindling in the Sussexes' friendship with the Obama's, according to commentators.
Royal insiders have suggested the former presidential couple are being cautious about appearing friendly with Harry and Meghan due to concerns about public image and out of respect for the Queen.
Harry's well-publicised attacks on his royal relatives soured the Obama's opinion of the couple, according to an article written by royal expert Camilla Tominey in the Telegraph.
Camilla said: "It arguably will not have gone down well with a couple who have always put 'family first' to see Harry and Meghan being so openly critical of their royal relatives during their Oprah interview in March."
Obama and the prince formed a close bond over the Invictus Games, with the former featuring in a promo video for the initiative in 2016. Meghan is known to be friendly with Obama and his wife, Michelle.
The two wives met at a talk given by Michelle at London's Southbank Centre in December 2018. The pair had a "power meeting" backstage, where they discussed girls' education.
According to Page Six, the Sussexes said they were "not planning to attend" the party, though it's not known whether it's because they weren't invited, or because they couldn't make it.
The Obamas first met the Queen at a G20 summit in 2009. They travelled to London for a three-day official visit in 2011, where they were hosted by Her Majesty.
Meghan celebrated her 40th birthday last week. As part of the milestone, she asked celebrities, including Adele and Stella McCartney, to offer their time as mentors
She also recorded a video to mark her milestone birthday with actress Melissa McCartney.
