KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 25: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018 in King’s Lynn, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

 

Here’s the thing: I don’t want to believe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had a falling out with Prince William and Kate Middleton. Honestly, I don’t.

But the royals just keeping doing things to feed the fire that are so easily avoidable.

Case in point: Friday marked William’s birthday. The Duke of Cambridge turned 37. Kensington Palace shared a photo of William to wish him happy birthday, and people were quick to notice the comment from Harry and Meghan’s account, @sussexroyal: “Happy Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge!”

 

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🎈 Thank you everyone for your lovely wishes on The Duke of Cambridge’s birthday!

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on

First, “Duke of Cambridge” seems a tad formal for one’s brother/brother-in-law. Second, it reads as quite impersonal when you compare it to the comment they left on a post about Prince Louis’ birthday earlier this year: “lots of love from both of us, xo.”

There’s one more thing worth noting. On Prince Philip’s birthday on June 10, Harry and Meghan dedicated a post to him on their @sussexroyal account, sharing two photos with the caption:

“Wishing His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Sir, Grandpa a very Happy 98th Birthday!”

Let’s consider for a moment that everyone is reading waaaay too much into this. Isn’t it true that the way we honour our friends and family on social media on their birthdays can depend on many factors? Like, maybe Harry and Meghan are hanging out with William on his birthday, so it doesn’t feel necessary to post about him. Er, maybe?

The … shall we say lack of enthusiasm Harry and Meghan have shown online for Prince William’s birthday is compounded by the news yesterday that the two royal couples have broken up their shared charity organisation, The Royal Foundation.

“Later this year The Royal Foundation will become the principal charitable and philanthropic vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,” a statement from Kensington Palace read.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will establish their own new charitable foundation with transitional operating support from The Royal Foundation.”

This is all fine. Everything’s fine.