Apparently, every celebrity attended an event that just so happened to coincide with Oprah Winfrey’s 69th birthday. But there was one person who was notably not in attendance. Meghan Markle, 41, was not present at the event which lead to inaccurate speculation that she was “snubbed” from Oprah’s birthday party.
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Oprah Winfrey’s Unofficial Birthday Party
The TV personality turned 69 on Jan. 29th. Oprah attended a star-studded event the night before at the Anastasia Beverly Hills 25th anniversary celebration. While there, she got lots of birthday wishes from her fellow celebrities and even got a delicious birthday cake.
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Not only was Winfrey at the soireé but also 25 women who have inspired Anastasia Beverly Hills CEO Anastasia Soare’s journey. Kim Kardashian was also there and shared several photos from the night on her Instagram story. She also posted a selfie with the birthday girl, which she captioned, “Happy birthday @oprah. @sharonstone said it best last night toasting to you that you mean the world to the world!” Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, and Sofia Vergara were also on the exclusive invite list and shared a few photos of their time together.
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Actress Jessica Alba also joined the party and shared the following tribute to Soare. “What a beautiful night celebrating the icon @anastasiasoare for building her incredible brand @anastasiabeverlyhills and paving the way for women to create brands and play by our own rules,” the Honest Company founder captioned her Insta pic.
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And, actress Priyanka Chopra appeared in several photos and shared a birthday message for Winfrey in her Instagram story, writing, “Happiest birthday beautiful icon! You are joy! Truly.”
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Although she wasn’t pictured at the event, Winfrey’s best friend Gayle King was also on hand and celebrated her pal’s birthday on Instagram, sharing a joyous photo of the two. “It’s a big day for all of us who love @oprah ! Happy everything to the girl who lives her best life everyday & does what she can to help everybody else do the same …” she captioned the post. Aw!
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And, even though many news outlets were speculating that Meghan’s absence must mean that she and Oprah had a falling out, it’s important to note that this is not Oprah’s official birthday party. This was a 25th-anniversary party for the beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills, which happened to fall on the same weekend as Oprah’s birthday. Hence the confusion with some people thinking this was her formal birthday party.
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Unfortunately, this has turned into a whole thing. Some pointed out that the “snub” might’ve been because of the revelations from Prince Harry’s book, Spare, where he backtracked on the racist allegations they made in the explosive interview with Oprah. He also declined to mention the controversial “skin color” incident in his wide-ranging memoir.
“It’s easy to see why Oprah wouldn’t want the pair at her birthday shindig after Harry’s latest revelations,” columnist Kara Kennedy speculated of the recent events for The Spectator. “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.”
However, royal expert and author Christopher Andersen weighed in and gave a statement to Fox News, saying:
“If there is one thing Oprah is, it’s loyal. I think people are reading a lot more into this supposed snub than they should. My reading of the situation is that both Oprah and the Sussexes realize this is a very delicate moment for Harry and Meghan as we approach the coronation of King Charles. Appearing at such a glitzy, high-profile event with Hollywood A-listers to honor Oprah is not what the Sussexes need right now. That would certainly rub King Charles the wrong way, not to mention an already hostile British public. I’m certain Harry and Meghan remain on friendly terms and are keeping the whole Oprah/H&M thing on the down-low.”
