Last week, Prince William celebrated his 37th birthday.
It was a relatively low-key affair (by royal birthday standards), but all of the important figures in the future king’s life paid their respects.
Much of the royal arse-kissing occurred in the comments section of this photo.
Posted by the official Kensington Palace Instagram account, the pic — which shows Big Willie cold chillin’ on a recent trip to Kenya — was captioned:
"Thank you everyone for your lovely wishes on The Duke of Cambridge’s birthday!"
Family, friends, and fans from all over the world gushed about Will on his big day, but one of the top comments stood out for its terse brevity:
“Happy Birthday to the Duke of Cambridge!” the comment reads.
It was posted from the @SussexRoyal Instagram account created by Harry and Meghan back in April.
Now, at first glance, it may look as though there’s nothing particularly scandalous — or even noteworthy — about the remark.
But compare Harry and Meg’s comment to some of their previous birthday greetings:
“Happy Birthday Louis! Sending lots of love from both of us,” the couple wrote on Prince Louis’ birthday.
“Happy Birthday Charlotte! Lots of love, H and M xo," they wrote to Charlotte.
Granted, Louis and Charlotte are children, and — as everyone who’s observed the slow recession of his hairline over the years knows — William is a grown-ass man.
But still — no expression of familial love? No birthday post on the Sussex’s page? Calling Will by his official title rather than his name?!
That’s chilly stuff, even by British Royal Family standards.
Social media accounts representing Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles posted tributes to William, and even they were more effusive in their praise for the father of three.
Of course, Meg and Harry’s low-key freeze-out may have gone unnoticed were it not for all the recent drama within the Windsor clan.
It all started with reports that Meghan was feuding with Kate Middleton.
Those gave way to insider claims that the real feud was between William and Harry.
Then came the real bombshell in the form of reports that Harry was pissed at William due to the fact that Will cheated on Kate Middleton while she was pregnant with her third child.
Much of this remains unconfirmed, and we may never get the whole story.
But whatever transpired, it’s clear that the two couples are not as close as they once were.
Harry and Meghan have moved out of Kensington Palace and relocated 20 miles away at Frogmore Cottage.
They’ve even broken up the Royal Foundation — a charity that both couples previously presided over together — into two separate organizations.
So while we don’t know the exact nature of the beef, and it remains unclear if Harry and Meghan intended to snub William, it’s undeniable that there’s something going on here.
And it doesn’t look as though the children of Charles will be burying the hatchet anytime soon.
