The royal family just extended a sweet olive branch to Meghan Markle on her birthday

(Image credit: Chris Jackson)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have stepped down as royal family members and relocated to California, but that certainly doesn't stop them from making headlines.

In fact, this past month they have been all anyone can talk about.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the arrival of their baby daughter, Lilibet Diana in June, before Prince Harry returned to the UK to reunite with Prince William to unveil a statue of Princess Diana in Kensington Palace's Sunken Gardens.

Since then, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah, Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, has been nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series Or Special category. And just this month, Meghan was announced as an executive producer on an exciting TV show. And of course, the announcement of Prince Harry's upcoming memoir has also been doing the rounds.

It was Meghan Markle's 40th birthday that made headlines this week, with the Duchess celebrating the milestone today.

According to reports, the Duchess has some seriously A-list plans, with a 'low-key' celebrity gathering and a tiered 'naked' cake in the works.

It was the royal family however who made news today as they appeared to extend a sweet olive branch to the Duchess of Sussex on her 40th, posting heartfelt social media tributes to her.

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'Wishing a happy 40th birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!', the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posted to Twitter, with a birthday cake emoji.

Other royal family members posted sweet messages too, with the Queen posting a sweet montage of photographs in Meghan's honour.

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Well, this is lovely.

Happy 40th birthday to the Duchess of Sussex!

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.