Meghan Markle has sent her ‘birthday love’ to ‘ladies near and far’ in a cryptic Instagram post featuring her new wine that was published just as Queen Camilla turned 78 today.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, appears to have filmed herself opening a crate of her newly released $30-a-bottle As Ever rosé, which is made in California’s celebrated Napa Valley.
‘Sending birthday love (both near and far) to my ladies’, she wrote over the video of a crate being opened before the wine is placed in a basket also containing fruit and flowers.
Meghan’s 44th birthday is just over a fortnight away, on August 4, and it is unclear who the message, set to The Marvelettes’ Mowtown hit Please Mr Postman, is aimed at.
But royal fans have ventured that it was not addressed to Camilla, who the Duke of Sussex, 40, branded ‘wicked’ in his autobiography Spare. Harry has also called Camilla ‘dangerous’, a ‘villain’ and claimed she had ‘sacrificed him’ to improve her reputation.
The Duchess of Sussex , 43, took to her Instagram Stories as she filmed herself opening a crate of her newly released rosé, which featured three bottles of the Napa Valley wine
Meghan Markle sent her ‘birthday love’ with a carefully packaged box of As Ever wine in a heartwarming post dedicated to ‘her ladies near and far’ – cryptically shared on the same date that her husband Prince Harry’s stepmother Queen Camilla turns 78. Both pictured in 2018
The King’s youngest son is estranged from his family in the UK.
But there have been hopes of thawing relations with his father after pictures emerged of a secret ‘peace summit’ in London involving two of his aides and the King’s communications secretary.
Meghan’s wine post was shared last night just hours before her husband Prince Harry’s stepmother Queen Camilla turned 78.
Despite her husband’s attacks, there is a minority on social media who hoped that Meghan – who Harry claimed once reached out to Camilla for advice on how to handle bad press – was offering a subtle olive branch to the King’s wife.
Elsewhere today, the Prince and Princess of Wales have paid tribute to the Queen with a sweet birthday post.
Kate and William, both 43, used their social media accounts to wish William’s stepmother many happy returns.
The pair, taking to Instagram, shared a sweet photo of the Queen with a message that read: ‘Happy Birthday to Her Majesty’. They later shared the message on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Developing a close bond with his stepmother over the years, the heir to the throne appears to have bonded with Camilla as they last year similar hurdles in their personal lives, with both their spouses are undergoing treatments for cancer.Â
Elsewhere, mother-of-three Kate is also said to have a warm relationship with the Queen, the pair often snapped chatting cordially during joint royal engagements.
In December, the pair even wore nearly identical outfits as they arrived at St Mary Magdalene church for the Royal Family‘s annual Christmas Day service in Sandringham in a sartorial display of solidarity.
King Charles‘s wife has also marked today’s celebrations with a stunning new portrait released by Buckingham Palace.
Royal photographer Chris Jackson, who also snappedthe then-Duchess of Cornwall on her 75th birthday, took the picture earlier this month at Ray Mill – the Queen’s private residence in Wiltshire.Â
Camilla is pictured with a big smile on her face as she leans against a fence while enjoying a warm summer day at her home.Â
She opted to wear a bright teal dress with motifs of a colourful bird as the Queen appeared relaxed and happy in her latest portrait.Â
Later, she presented the boozy offerings propped up in a nest of seasonal peaches and flowers – all set to The Marvettes’ Please, Mr Postman
She is wearing the same Fiona Clare dress in an earlier image released by the Royal Family on July 14 – three days before her birthday.
In that photo, the King’s wife was seen cuddling her sweet rescue dog, Jack Russell-cross Moley, in the garden of her Wiltshire home. Â
Camilla, who often repurposes her outfits for different occasions, also picked the striking maxi dress for the final day of the King and Queen’s state visit to Kenya in 2023.  Â
The Queen opted to keep her makeup light and dewy as she wore a hint of blusher, a light coat of mascara, and a swipe of pink lip gloss.
She also kept her accessories to a minimum, choosing to wear a stack of rings – including her five-carat engagement ring from King Charles – and a pair of gold earrings.Â
Meghan’s puzzling birthday post comes just days after the Mail On Sunday revealed that staffers working for Charles and Harry met for ‘peace talks’, marking the first significant move to resolving their rancorous family feud.Â
Sources said it was the initial step in a ‘rapprochement process’ to restore the broken relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the Royal Family.
Aptly, the talks were held at a London private members’ club that champions international friendship, and whose patron is the King.Â
William and Kate shared the new image of Her Majesty to Instagram and X (Twitter) this morning
While it’s not known which pals the mother-of-two’s warm greetings were intended for, one may venture a guess that it was not addressed to her father-in-law’s wife, who the Duke of Sussex , 40, once branded ‘wicked’ in his autobiography. Harry, Meghan, Charles and Camilla pictured in 2022
It is not known whether it was Charles or Harry who extended the olive branch, but insiders said the summit is the strongest sign yet of the determination on both sides to resolve the bitter House of Windsor rift.
‘There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years,’ one insider suggested. ‘There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.’
Harry was represented by Meredith Maines, his chief communications officer and head of his household in Montecito, California, who flew in from Los Angeles.
She met Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarch’s London residence.
Also present was Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussexes’ PR team in the UK.Â
It was Ms Maines who organised Harry’s BBC interview in May in which he said he ‘would love a reconciliation’ with the Royal Family, but that the King ‘won’t speak to me because of this security stuff’.
The Duke was referring to the removal of his automatic police security detail in Britain, which he called an ‘old-fashioned establishment stitch-up’ and suggested his father could have resolved the situation.
He admitted that he didn’t expect forgiveness across the board from his family, saying, ‘Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for… lots of things.’
Insiders said Harry’s memoir, Spare, was the final straw for his brother William, as it made public claims such as a physical fight the pair are said to have had over Harry’s relationship with Meghan. Both pictured in 2021
The Windsor feud began shortly after Harry and Meghan moved to California and gave an explosive interview to US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. Harry and Meghan pictured in May, 2024
Despite this, he expressed a clear desire for a rapprochement, saying, ‘I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight any more.’
Charles was also still said to be hopeful of a reunion with his younger son and that he might yet build a relationship with his two grandchildren, six-year-old Prince Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Ms Maines, wearing a sleeveless cream jacket and high heels and carrying a black Louis Vuitton bag, arrived at the club by taxi with Mr Maguire at 3.50pm. Mr Andreae turned up several minutes later carrying a gift from Berry Bros & Rudd, the wine and spirits merchant which has been supplying the Royal Family since 1760.
The trio were later seen chatting over drinks in the 26C (78F) sunshine on the club’s first-floor garden terrace overlooking Green Park.
After ten minutes they got up and resumed their discussions inside. The source said the summit was only the ‘first step towards reconciliation between Harry and his father, but at least it is a step in the right direction.
‘Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.’
The Windsor feud began shortly after Harry and Meghan moved to California and gave an explosive interview to US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
The Duchess described approaching Harry and the Royal Family, seeking help with suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy.
The Royal Family reportedly had ‘zero trust’ in Prince Harry following his bombshell BBC interview earlier this year, an insider previously claimed (pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Prince and Princess of Wales and King Charles departing Westminster Abbey after attending a Commonwealth Service in 2020)
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Sussex’s representatives would comment on the meeting. Pictured: Harry and Meghan in 2018
‘I just didn’t want to be alive any more,’ she said. ‘And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember – I remember how he [Harry] just cradled me.’
Meghan said she asked a senior royal about the possibility of seeking help and was told that would not be possible because it ‘wouldn’t be good for the institution’.
Harry further claimed that while his wife was pregnant, a member of his family had expressed ‘concerns’ to him about the baby’s skin colour.
Insiders said Harry’s memoir, Spare, was the final straw for his brother William, as it made public claims such as a physical fight the pair are said to have had over Harry’s relationship with Meghan.Â
The Royal Family responded with expressions of empathy, couched with the now infamous line: ‘Recollections may vary.’
Earlier this year, it was also revealed that the Duke of Sussex had decided to extend an olive branch to the Royal Family by inviting them to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham.
He is said to be hopeful that the event could spell the end of his self-imposed exile in California, and mark a return to the royal fold. Meanwhile there are still hurdles to overcome with Harry’s Home Office battle over security.
After stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Harry lost his automatic taxpayer-funded police protection, but has fiercely contested the decision, insisting that he and his family are at risk whenever they visit the UK.
He maintains that if his father would only ‘step out of the way’ he could get his police protection back.
In the BBC interview, Harry accused his father of standing in the way of his fight for protection.
The issue became emblematic of the deep mistrust that now defines his relationship with his father and the wider royal household –but which may now, finally, be beginning to thaw.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Sussex’s representatives would comment on the meeting.