Prince Harry spent the night of his 40th birthday with friends instead of Meghan Markle, according to reports.

The Duke of Sussex made no mention of his wife in his birthday thanks message after reportedly going on a hiking trip to celebrate the milestone.

Harry and Meghan made a series of separate plans, including Harry’s solo trips to London and Lesotho in recent weeks. He turned 40 on September 15. The Duke has appeared at ten solo engagements in the last 15 days without his wife as he embarked on a “quasi-royal tour” across three countries, including New York, London and Lesotho.

But it was Meghan who booked the hiking trip for Harry and his pals, sources close to the couple say. It has also been reported Meghan, 43, bailed out on a charity event she was set to attend with Prince Harry because she was sick.

Harry and Meghan were pictured in Bogota, Colombia, as part of their rour in the summer

Harry and Meghan were pictured in Bogota, Colombia, as part of their tour in the summer ( 

Image:

Anadolu via Getty Images)

The last time Meghan was seen was the day before Harry’s birthday and she was barely staying at their home in Montecito for periods of time earlier this year whilst he was said to be “moping around” by himself at a local cafe.

Last year, it was claimed that the pair spent extended spells apart but this was denied by sources close to them. It was said that, like any couple, they have disagreements but remained strong. Meghan has reportedly grown ­frustrated with Harry’s court cases in the UK over his security entitlement.

It has also been reported that the couple have been in disagreement over how to raise their children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three. Harry did not want the children to be seen in ­public in case they were photographed but Meghan would apparently prefer to allow them to attend more local events, a source told The Sun.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex announced they wanted to step back as working royals, the public was seriously taken by surprise. However, in the months before their shock announcement, the couple had made it clear they were having some issues living in the public eye, with Meghan opening up in a documentary made about their tour of Southern Africa that she had been struggling with the pressure and Harry admitting that he and his brother Prince William were on “different paths”.

Despite this, the extent to which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not coping well inside the monarchy only became clear a year later, when they sat down for an extensive interview with Oprah Winfrey and Meghan revealed that she had been struggling with suicidal thoughts, as the couple explored all the reasons why they had decided to step back from representing the crown officia