Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were notably absent at Oprah Winfrey's recent birthday bash which, according to one royal expert, means that "the tide is turning" with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Over the weekend, Oprah celebrated her 69th birthday in style with her celeb pals such as Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Sharon Stone, writes The Mirror.
However, Harry and Meghan were nowhere to be seen at the star-studded party, which has surprised as Oprah was the journalist the couple sat down with for their explosive TV interview back in 2021.
It's unknown if the couple weren't there due to prior engagements and were simply unable to make their friend's party, or if Oprah - who attended Harry and Meghan's 2019 wedding - snubbed the pair and didn't include them on the guestlist.
One expert has suggested their conspicuous absence could signify something bigger. Kara Kennedy claims Harry and Meghan's "loud mouths" are being used against them following the couple's decision to tell their story via Netflix documentaries and tell-all memoirs.
Kennedy writes in The Spectator: "On a more serious note, snubs like this show that the tide is turning with the Sussexes — and that the gamble that saw them trade in the lifelong duty of being working royalty for the money and fame of being celebrities hasn’t paid off."
"It’s easy to see why Oprah wouldn’t want the pair at her birthday shindig after Harry’s latest revelations," she went on to claim.
During their bombshell interview with Oprah in March 2021, Harry and Meghan claimed a member of Harry’s family had expressed "concerns" over what colour their son Archie’s skin would be prior to his birth.
The claim caused many to speculate if the Royal Family is a racist institution, but Harry slammed those claims earlier this year.
Speaking with Tom Bradby ahead of the release of his memoir Spare, the dad-of-two was told: "In the Oprah interview you accused members of your family of racism," before Harry cut in to insist: "No I didn’t. The British press said that."
Harry added: "Did Meghan ever mention that they’re racist?"
The ITV journalist replied: "She said there were troubling comments about Archie’s skin colour."
Harry then said there was 'concern' about his skin colour, to which Tom asked if that would not be described as 'essentially racist'.
Harry replied: "I wouldn’t, not having lived within that family."
Kennedy continued to reference the contrasting interviews in her Spector column, claiming: "The interview [with Oprah] was not an attempt to speak truth, nor was it an attempt at reconciliation.
"This was Harry and Meghan’s campaign to finish off the British monarchy — and they used Oprah as a pawn."
Representatives for Meghan and Harry were approached for comment on this story.
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