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This year, Prince Harry celebrated his 40th birthday, and to everyone’s surprise, both King Charles and Prince William recognised the occasion.
King Charles extended his birthday wishes through the official Royal Family social media account, stating, “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!”
In a slightly different manner, Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, opted not to create their own post.
Instead, they simply shared the Royal Family’s message on their Instagram story, adding the caption, “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex.” The wording was almost identical.
Notably, the birthday message did not appear on the Wales’s Instagram grid, meaning it disappeared from their stories after just 24 hours.
For both King Charles and Prince William, this gesture was significant, as they had not acknowledged Harry’s birthday for the previous three years. Many speculate that this may be an olive branch.
These birthday greetings come in the wake of years of family tension, particularly following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from royal duties and their subsequent tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Royal correspondent Rob Jobson suggested that the posts were motivated more by necessity than affection. He told Sunrise: “They would have gotten more bother if they hadn’t done it, so by doing it they cover themselves,” [It would have been nicer] if it had been a bit more brotherly … rather than ‘we wish the Duke of Sussex a good day’, I think he could have been more personal. But it is better than nothing.”
Harry is set to return to the UK later this month for the national 2024 WellChild Awards in London.
There’s a possibility we might witness a long-awaited meeting between Prince Harry and King Charles, as the King’s schedule was too packed during Harry’s last visit to the UK.