This is how Meghan Markle celebrated her 41st birthday

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, celebrated her 41st birthday on Thursday, but little is known about how she celebrated the big day, aside from a statement from Meghan's spokesperson.

• Meghan Markle celebrated her 41st birthday this week with her family.
• While the details of the big day are unclear, a spokesperson has released a statement regarding how the Duchess of Sussex spent the big day.
• This royal news comes as the Queen reveals Charles and William have ‘carried on’ Prince Philip’s passion in a heartfelt letter. 

Since leaving the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have kept a low profile online, spending time at the family's Santa Barbara mansion with their two children Archie and Lilibet in Santa Barbara. 

While it's unclear exactly how the Duchess spent her 41st birthday, Meghan's spokesperson gave an update to Entertainment Tonight about how Meghan celebrated her day. They said, “Meghan Markle is spending the day celebrating with family and close friends." While similarly, a rep for the Sussexes told Us Weekly, “the duchess is enjoying a lovely birthday this year with her family and dear friends.” 

Though there were no paparazzi photos of the Duchess celebrating the big day, members of the royals were keen to show their support.

The Duchess was celebrated on social media by the rest of Royal Family, who sent their birthday well wishes.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent their birthday wishes to Meghan Markle with a heartwarming tweet, that read, "Wishing a happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!"

While Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also tweeted their birthday wishes for Meghan. They wrote on Twitter, "Happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!" The tweet was followed by a red balloon emoji.

The Queen, however, didn't wish Meghan a happy birthday publicly, sparking some critics to view the lack of birthday wishes as a 'snub'. However, one royal expert argues this is simply down to royal protocol. 

The Daily Express' royal correspondent Richard Palmer explained, "The Queen's website neglected to mention the big day after deciding it will only mark the birthdays of non-working members of the family when they end in a zero."