Meghan raised eyebrows when she shared a surprising photo in honour of Prince Harry’s 41st birthday earlier this month, which she accompanied with a fire emoji
In celebration of Prince Harry’s birthday earlier this month, his wife Meghan Markle decided to share a throwback photo. It was intended to show just how attractive she finds the Prince – and while the Sussexes’ fans were happy to show their support, others were quick to poke fun at her post.
Meghan chose a snapshot that had been taken ten years earlier, as Harry took part in a RAF flypast at Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex. She captioned the image, which showed Harry with a rugged beard, with the words, ‘Oh hi, birthday boy’, alongside a fire emoji.
But critics were quick to suggest that the image had been heavily filtered, and they also questioned why she had used that particular photo – not least because of its links to Harry’s ex, Cressida Bonas.
“Using an old picture of your spouse to say happy birthday when you should’ve made enough memories by now to post a genuine, heartfelt photo….ok Meghan,” one critic remarked.
A second said: “She didn’t even know him then .. and the emoji is cringe off the charts for an old photo.” And a third added: “But the photo is from before she met him, it is bizarre.”
At the time the photo was taken, Harry had turned 31 and had recently returned from a summer working on conservation projects in Africa before attending the event, which marked the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Britain.
According to the Daily Mail, later that same day in 2015, Harry spent the evening with his ex-girlfriend Cressida, following the news she had split with her then-latest boyfriend.
After taking part in the official engagement, Harry reportedly flew back to London by helicopter to spend the evening with the blonde actress and a group of close friends at the Cross Keys pub in Chelsea.
Harry and Cressida dated for approximately two years, from 2012 to 2014. They were introduced by Princess Eugenie, but ultimately ended their romance as a result of Cressida’s discomfort with the intense attention and lack of freedom that came with being part of the royal family.
She went on to find love with real estate agent and property investor Harry Wentworth-Stanley. The couple married in Juy 2020 and together share two children together, a son named Wilbur and a daughter named Delphina.
It comes after Harry and Meghan made their first public appearance together in five months last weekend. The couple were all smiles as they stepped out for the One805LIVE! Concert, which was held at Kevin Costner’s oceanside estate in California on Sunday, raises funds for essential equipment and mental wellness programs for Santa Barbara County’s first responders.
Meghan, wearing a midnight blue sleeveless shirtdress and tan heels for the occasion, beamed as she joined her husband, who affectionately put his hand around her waist as she briefly joined him on stage.
Harry has attended the concert three years in a row, with Meghan last joining him in 2023. It was the couple’s first public appearance together since April, when the Duke joked with the Duchess in New York for the TIME100 summit.
It’s also the first time they have been seen together since Harry’s reunion with his father King Charles, during a private, one-on-one meeting in London. The pair spent around 55 minutes together as they marked their first meeting since February 2024.
It has sparked rumours that the pair now plan to see each other regularly and may take part in public appearances together.
Following the father son reunion, Harry travelled to Ukraine where he gave another new bombshell interview – something that might setback his plans according to experts.
In the candid chat to The Guardian, Harry insisted he has a “clear conscience” when it comes to the scathing revelations he’s made about his family and revealed his father Charles is now his “main focus”.
During the lengthy interview, the Duke reflected on Spare and his work on various Netflix programmes. These, Harry argued, were his and Meghan’s attempts at correcting “one point of view”.
“I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear,” Harry said.
But it may be a costly mistake. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes Harry would have been “better to stay zipped about his meeting with his father”.
She told the Mirror : “His first comment was that his dad was ‘great’. And I don’t think the Palace would have any problem with that. But to have been drawn into commenting on whether he had any regrets about his book was naive.
“He just can’t seem to stop himself from doubling down on his grievances. He was clearly responding to a specific question about whether he’d aired his ‘dirty laundry’ in public. He should simply have said he had no comment, and re-directed the focus of the interview to his visit to Ukraine .
“To be tempted into asserting that his conscience was clear about all that he had said in his book, and that there “cannot be reconciliation before you have truth”, was just asking for trouble.
“I don’t think it’s serious trouble: he didn’t say anything that we hadn’t already heard. But it may well have set alarm bells ringing at the Palace. Nothing, it seems, can be guaranteed to be kept private by Harry.”
