Wild speculation

Meghan cut out? This is what the palace says

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan visited Dublin in July 2018. A large number of photos were taken. This one is now causing wild speculation.(Bild: Jimmy Rainford / PA)

The British royal family is once again at the center of wild speculation! A photo published on the occasion of Prince Harry's 40th birthday is causing uproar - because none other than his wife Meghan Markle is missing. Was she deliberately cut out?

The picture, which shows Harry during an official event in 2018, was shared on the royals' social media to publicly congratulate the prince. But attentive royal fans quickly noticed: Where is Meghan?

Rumor mill explodes
Rumors immediately exploded on social media that the former actress had been banned from the picture to cover up tensions within the family. After all, the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the British monarchy has been anything but harmonious since they stepped down from their royal duties.

Here is the Royal Family's post:

Buckingham Palace counters!
But now the clear announcement from Buckingham Palace: Meghan has not been cut out! A spokesperson for the palace firmly denied the speculation to the British newspaper "Independent" and emphasized that the picture had not been altered in any way. It had been used exactly as it was supplied by the photo agency.

The agency itself backed up this statement and explained that Prince Harry was photographed from different angles at the time - both with and without his wife. Both versions were uploaded to Getty Images in 2018, the agency's spokesperson emphasized. 

We have selected the image in question, as it was distributed by the photo agencies in 2018, for you to compare: 

Fans remain skeptical
But despite these explanations, many fans remain suspicious. In other pictures from the same day, Meghan can be seen right next to Harry. So why exactly this picture for the royal post? Is it a clever attempt to remove Meghan from the royal narrative?

One thing is clear: the debate about Meghan and Harry - and the eternal tensions with the royals - continues and one thing is certain: the royal spat is always providing new topics of conversation!