Meghan Markle not cropped out of photograph amid speculation over birthday image

Taken on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first overseas trip to Dublin as a married couple in 2018, a close-up picture of a smiling Harry was shared by the Royal Family and later the Prince and Princess of Wales to mark his 40th birthday on September 15.

Eagle-eyed royal fans spotted that the original image, was taken when Harry was still a working royal which led to online speculation the Duchess of Sussex was deliberately removed from the image by the Royal Family.

As reported by the Independent, Buckingham Palace has said the 40th birthday image was not cropped to remove Meghan Markle.The palace stated the image was not altered and was used in the format it was received.

The photo was posted on King Charles and Camilla's official social media account, with the caption: "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!"

It marks the first time that the Firm has publicly acknowledged Harry's birthday on social media since 2021.

Harry and Meghan's relationship with the Royal Family has steadily deteriorated since they stepped down as working royals in 2020, and gave a series of bombshell TV interviews. Harry also released a memoir in January 2023 detailing his private life within the Firm.

A notable moment in the memoir was when William allegedly attacked his younger brother when they got into an argument over the reported treatment of Meghan.

The decision to share the birthday image on royal accounts has been interpreted by some as an "olive branch" to Harry.

This is not the first time that the family has found itself at the centre of a Photoshop scandal. Eyebrows were raised by the Princess of Wales's celebratory Mother's Day photograph this year. It was pulled from circulation by major news agencies after it emerged that it had been doctored.

It led to Princess Kate issuing an apology online where she admitted as an "amateur photographer" she does "occasionally experiment with editing".

Prince Harry is set to continue with his birthday celebrations and organise an exclusive birthday event with his "closest mates", according to The Sun.

The royal is rumoured to be going to a retreat in California with a few of his friends - some of whom may fly over from the UK.

The celebrations are set to take place after he spent his actual birthday on Sunday with Meghan Markle and their two children at their chic mansion in Montecito.

According to reports, Prince Harry made a last-minute, clandestine trip to the UK to be at the funeral of his much-loved uncle, where he was reunited with his brother.

But any hopes of a reconciliation between the estranged pair were swiftly dashed, when one local confirmed the brothers were there but that they "never saw them speak to each other" and they were keeping their distance.

Express.co.uk has approached Buckingham Palace for comment.