The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have broken their silence on social media to send the Duchess of Cambridge a message on her 38th birthday on Thursday.
Kensington Palace released a new photo of Kate, taken by photographer Matt Porteous, to mark the Duchess' special day. Using their Sussex Royal Instagram account, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle commented with a message underneath, which read: "Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge today!" They also added a cake and a red heart emoji.
Kate's brother and sister-in-law weren't the only members of the royal family to send her birthday wishes. The Duchess' father-in-law Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall posted a gorgeous carousel of throwback photos on social media, with the first snap showing the two Duchesses at Trooping the Colour in 2017. "Wishing The Duchess of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday," the caption read, alongside a red balloon emoji.
The Duchess of Cambridge's birthday comes a day after Prince Harry and Meghan announced in a statement that they are stepping back as senior members of the royal family and revealed they will work to become financially independent.
WATCH: Kate's best moments as she celebrates her 38th birthday
Buckingham Palace released a statement from the Queen shortly after the couple's news, which read: "Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through."
The last time the Sussexes were seen in public with other members of the royal family was in November 2019 for the Remembrance Day services. Harry and Meghan took a six-week break from royal duties shortly afterwards, travelling to Canada to spend some private time with their eight-month-old son Archie and the Duchess' mother Doria Ragland.
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