A royal expert claims Prince Charles' birthday message for his grandson Archie could have been a "deliberate" snub to Meghan Markle.
Clarence House's Instagram and Twitter accounts shared a sweet black and white photo of Prince Harry beaming as he cradled baby Archie, with proud Charles looking on.
The caption on Thursday's post stated: "Happy birthday to Archie, who turns two today."
Royal fans asked why Charles didn't share a photo that included Archie's mum Meghan, the Daily Star Online reported, while others wondered why the future king's official Instagram account didn't share similar posts on Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' birthdays recently.
Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe told Fabulous magazine that omitting Meghan from the photo could be a “deliberate” snub following Megxit and the Sussexes' bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Do you enjoy reading about the royal family? Sign up for all the best royal news from the Mirror here
He said: “It’s pretty daft to leave her [Meghan] out of it given that it wasn’t that many weeks ago she was American TV throwing accusations about the royal family left, right and centre.
“I see that as a deliberate sign of Prince Charles.
“Surely Prince Charles has enough nous to know how sensitive the situation is with his younger son and his wife.
“I’d be very surprised if Prince Charles didn’t know exactly what he was doing.”
He suggested the photo may have been chosen as Charles' "favourite" or it was "likely one of the few pictures that he has" showing him with Archie.
It is thought that Charles, 72, hasn't seen his grandson in person for at least 18 months.
Harry and Meghan moved to Canada in late 2019 when Archie was about six months old, and then to Los Angeles as they quit their roles as senior royals.
While some saw the post from Clarence House as a possible "olive branch" to the Sussexes amid a rift between them and the Royal Family, Mr Larcombe didn't see it that way.
In the comments section under the Instagram post, royal fans asked why the Clarence House account didn't post similar messages recently when Charlotte turned six, Louis turned three and Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.
However, birthday and anniversary messages were posted on Charles and wife Camilla's official Twitter account.
Clarence House declined to comment.
As Harry and Meghan celebrated Archie's second birthday on Thursday, they asked well-wishers wanting to mark the occasion to donate money to pay for Covid vaccinations in disadvantaged countries.
The couple also shared a photo of Archie with his back to the camera in a garden setting, holding a very large bunch of helium-inflated balloons.
Meghan, 39, is pregnant with a baby girl.
She told Oprah that she is due to give birth in the "summertime".
