Queen leads sweet birthday wishes for Duchess Meghan as she turns 40

The queen has led birthday wishes for Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, as she celebrates her 40th birthday.

The duchess is celebrating the special day in California, US, where she relocated with her husband Prince Harry and son, Archie, last year. 

Now her in-laws have taken to social media to share their birthday wishes for the mother of two, who recently welcomed daughter Lilibet Diana, alongside images of the former Suits actress.

The queen, under the royal family's Twitter account, shared images of Meghan with the monarch and her family, alongside a short happy birthday message.

She was joined by the duchess's father-in-law Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who shared a sweet image of a smiling Meghan alongside their birthday tribute. 

Rounding off the birthday messages were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine Middleton, who showed there were no hard feelings when they shared their birthday message alongside an image of the duchess.

Relations have reportedly been frosty between the foursome after it emerged that Catherine had reduced Meghan to tears before the latter's lavish 2018 wedding.

This was in contradiction to earlier reports that Meghan had been the one to make Catherine cry.

Making matters worse were Harry and Meghan's claims that questions had been raised before Archie's birth about the colour of his skin, as well as Harry's confession that his relationship with his brother was one of distance. 

It remains unclear how the duchess will mark the special occasion, but according to Daily Mail, her husband is planning an “intimate” surprise trip.