Just days after celebrating her 45th birthday, Meghan Markle received what many would assume was one of the happiest pieces of family news imaginable. Princess Eugenie had welcomed a baby daughter, with Buckingham Palace announcing the arrival on behalf of the Royal Family and confirming that King Charles and Queen Camilla had been informed.

The Palace’s statement revealed the little girl had been born in Lisbon on Monday, adding that “Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of The Royal Family have been delighted to be informed and welcome the arrival of the newest member of the family.” A new baby has a remarkable way of cutting through old rows, family tensions and years of complicated history.

Normally, I wouldn’t read anything into that. Families don’t need Instagram to prove they care about one another. But Princess Eugenie isn’t just another member of the Royal Family.

For years, she appeared to be Meghan’s greatest supporter inside the institution Prince Harry and Meghan have spent much of the past five years criticising.

Long before Harry, 41, introduced Meghan to palace life, Eugenie, 36, is understood to have known the former Suits actress through mutual friend and fashion designer Misha Nonoo. Unlike almost every other royal relationship Meghan formed, this one wasn’t created through marriage or monarchy. It already existed.

Harry later revealed in Spare that Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank were among the very first members of his family to meet Meghan privately while the relationship remained secret.

The four famously spent a secret Halloween together in Toronto before Harry and Meghan’s romance became public knowledge, with Meghan later recalling it as one last chance to enjoy an ordinary night before their lives changed forever.

That friendship didn’t disappear after the wedding. Princess Eugenie appeared in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, remained one of the few younger royals publicly linked to the Sussexes after they left Britain and has reportedly visited the couple in California.

Then there was perhaps the greatest sign of trust of all. It was during celebrations surrounding Eugenie’s wedding in 2018 that Harry and Meghan allegedly revealed Meghan’s pregnancy with Prince Archie to senior members of the Royal Family.

Many believed the announcement overshadowed Eugenie’s big day. But she never appeared to hold it against them, and there was no fall-out. If one royal consistently seemed prepared to stand beside Harry and Meghan while relationships elsewhere within the family deteriorated, it was Princess Eugenie – which is exactly why this latest silence feels so chilling.

Of course, none of us knows what happened behind closed doors. Meghan may well have congratulated Eugenie privately before anybody noticed her social media remained silent. But perception has always mattered enormously to Meghan.

She has built an entire lifestyle brand around openness, authenticity and sharing carefully curated moments from her family life. When someone chooses to tell the world so much about the people closest to them, what they choose not to share inevitably attracts attention too.

And there is another uncomfortable reality – over the years, Meghan has repeatedly faced criticism for appearing to move on from friendships once those around her became surrounded by difficult headlines. Jessica Mulroney largely vanished from public view following her 2020 controversy, while Meghan’s once-close friendship with Ellen DeGeneres also appears to have quietly cooled.

Only those involved know the real reasons why, but critics have long pointed to what they see as a recurring pattern. Against that backdrop, it’s hardly surprising that Meghan’s silence over Eugenie’s joyful news has prompted fresh questions – especially given everything the Princess once represented.

Perhaps the friendship remains exactly as it always has away from public view. But if that’s the case, neither side is making much effort to show it.

The timing could hardly have been more striking. Buckingham Palace chose Meghan’s birthday to announce Princess Eugenie’s baby news, ensuring one royal celebration eclipsed another, while offering the Duchess no public birthday wishes of its own.

One woman welcomed a daughter. The other turned 45.

Only one royal story dominated the day. And after Meghan’s own silence towards the woman who once appeared to be her closest ally inside the Firm, it’s difficult not to conclude that the friendship simply isn’t what it once was.