By Molly Claire Goddard
1:32pm PST, Jan 15, 2026
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According to former royal butler
Grant Harrold, Meghan Markle should've wished Kate Middleton a happy birthday on social media on January 9. "With Meghan returning to social media in recent months, this could be the opportunity for an olive branch," he told
AceOdds via
Daily Express. "Now that there is a rumor that relations are improving and that things are on the mend, it is possible that they could do that. It would send a very, very loud message if she posted her birthday wishes online."
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A birthday greeting from Meghan Markle to Kate Middleton could have signaled a positive change for the family. "If they were to put something out publicly, everybody around the world would be saying, 'Oh wow, they are speaking again.' At the moment, while whatever is going on is still happening behind closed doors, I think it is unlikely that we will see any kind of public message right now," Grant Harrold said.
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While Meghan Markle didn't send Kate Middleton public well wishes, Grant Harrold thinks there's goodwill behind the scenes. "I absolutely believe that privately there will be birthday wishes — whether that is a phone call, a video call, birthday cards being sent, and possibly even gifts," Grant Harrold said.
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Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have never been particularly close. "Even when [Prince] William and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans, and I was barefoot," the Suits actress recalled in their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. "Like I was a hugger, I've always been a hugger. I didn't realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits."
