Is the cropping intentional? The detail has in any case not escaped the British press, which noted on Monday that the photo used by the royal family to wish Prince Harry a happy birthday on Sunday had been cropped.
In the original photo, unearthed by The Standard and The Times, next to the prince sitting at a table with a glass of water, is Meghan Markle. The photo was taken on July 11, 2018, during an official visit to Dubai. The couple, who had just married, were still part of the royal family at the time.
The choice of photo
Choosing the photo must have been a nightmare for Buckingham’s icon department, notes the Times journalist with humor, who evokes their dilemma. Impossible to choose a recent photo of the prince during one of his recent pseudo-official visits without seeming to validate. No photo of Harry playing polo either, without seeming to promote the next series produced by the prince for Netflix on this sport dear to his heart.
It was also out of the question to choose a photo of Harry with his father, King Charles, or his brother Prince William, as there are no recent ones anyway. So they dug up a photo from 2018, showing the prince relaxed and smiling.
The image and the message it conveys contrast in any case with the photo published on September 15, 2020 by William and Kate, for Harry’s 38th birthday. We saw Harry, William and Kate, hilarious, racing on a track.
First time since 2021
It was a few months after Harry and Meghan moved to California, but well before the couple’s revelations about the royal family in the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan and the publication of the prince’s memoirs, The Substitute. So many instruments to settle their scores, which have permanently cut them off from the royal family.
In any case, this is the first time since 2021 that the official accounts of the royal family and the Prince and Princess of Wales have celebrated Harry’s birthday. Even if William and Kate were content to repost the message from the royal account, adding a very brief “Happy 40th birthday to the Duke of Sussex!”
- BFMTV.com
