The most senior members of the British royal family acknowledged Prince Harry’s birthday on social media for the first time in three years on Sunday. In two separate posts shared online, the account for King Charles wrote, “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” Meanwhile, the account for the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate Middleton, shared the same photo and caption in an Instagram Story.
The family members have been publicly estranged ever since Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from senior royal duties in January 2020. The X account for the royal family wished Harry a happy birthday in September 2021, but since then, the social media accounts for King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as the accounts for William and Kate, have stayed mum on Harry’s birthdays.
The family’s tension dates back to at least Christmas 2018, when royal reporter Katie Nicholl claimed that brothers Prince William and Prince Harry had a falling out due to the former’s treatment of Markle. In a video widely circulated online at the time, it appeared that William blatantly ignored Markle during a family holiday outing.
Though rumors of a rift between the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex were always bubbling to the surface, several authorities insisted that the true beef was between the brothers. In March 2019, royal filmmaker Nick Bullen told Fox News, “It’s actually that William and Harry have had a rift. All brothers fall out. All families fall out. Their fallout at the moment is becoming public.”
Months later, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the charity they shared with the Prince and Princess of Wales. Two months after that, Harry admitted to ITV News that he and his brother had experienced a falling out.
In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from official royal duties. The pair left England for Canada, then Markle’s native United States. Since then, they released docuseries “Harry & Meghan” on Netflix and gave exclusive interviews to Oprah Winfrey, while Harry published his memoir “Spare.”
Though the brothers briefly reunited in 2021 to unveil a new statue of their mother at Kensington Gardens, it does not appear they have remained in close contact since. Harry and Meghan were largely silent throughout the furor that surrounded Catherine, the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis and treatment.
In August, Penguin House announced that “Spare” will be released in paperback, the contents of the book remaining the same as the hardback release — a move that is considered to be a reconciliation step of sorts, as it’s common for books to update chapters with new information between hardback and paperback release, which could have caused deeper conflict.
Ahead of his birthday, Harry told the BBC he’s “excited” about turning 40. He added, “Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world. Becoming a father of two incredibly kind and funny kids has given me a fresh perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus in all my work.”
