The Sussexes nowhere to be seen at Oprah’s star-studded birthday party

Oprah Winfrey's birthday bash was missing a certain controversial couple. Photo / Instagram

Rumours are swirling that the recent escalation in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s public feud with the Royal Family could be having a severe impact on their Hollywood status.

In a telling clue, the couple appear to have been left off the guest list for Oprah Winfrey’s high-profile birthday party over the weekend, which was celebrated by other stars including Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Sharon Stone.

It was clearly the hottest ticket in town – and given Meghan and Harry’s once-close relationship with Winfrey, their lack of attendance was highly conspicuous.

Of course, it’s possible they were invited and declined to attend – but given the nature of the event, it’d seem a rather surprising choice.

Winfrey, who just turned 69, was among the guests at their 2018 wedding, and was the person they trusted to first tell their story after sensationally quitting royal duties.

It was during that explosive interview in early 2021 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed a member of Harry’s family had expressed “concerns” over what colour their son Archie’s skin would be while Meghan was pregnant.

Winfrey was visibly shocked at the remark, which went on to spark widespread accusations that the royals were racist.

However, in an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby last month, Harry appeared to walk back those allegations, flatly denying they’d ever suggested his family was racist.

He also declined to mention the controversial “skin colour” incident in his wide-ranging memoir, Spare.

“It’s easy to see why Oprah wouldn’t want the pair at her birthday shindig after Harry’s latest revelations. During his press tour for the duke’s memoir, Spare, nearly three years on from that bombshell interview with Oprah, he made her look stupid,” columnist Kara Kennedy wrote of the recent events for The Spectator.

The latest snub speculation comes after Harry and Meghan were also notably absent from their friend Barack Obama’s 60th birthday celebration in August 2021, just a few months after their explosive Oprah interview.

Among the A-list celebrities in attendance were George Clooney, Jay-Z and Beyonce – all of whom Meghan and Harry have been known to enjoy friendships with in the past.

There were reports at the time that the Obamas were not thrilled with the Sussexes’ decision to go public with their royal grievances.

Harry and Meghan’s docuseries was released by Netflix last year. Photo / Netflix

“When it comes to Harry and Meghan, it seems, the former president and first lady remain firmly of the view that blood is thicker than water,” the UK Telegraph wrote.

Meanwhile, among the wider public, the couple had initially enjoyed plenty of support in the US after relocating there from Britain, but it appears the tide may be turning in the wake of their Netflix docu-series and his controversial book.

In an opinion poll published by Redfield and Wilton shortly after its release, Harry’s US popularity had taken a serious nosedive, landing him on an approval rating of -7, compared with +38 in early December.

Meghan Markle had dropped to -13, compared with +23 over the same period.