Prince William and Kate Middleton included a subtle message to Prince Harry in their unexpected birthday post.
For both King Charles and Prince William, this was a significant gesture, as neither had acknowledged Harry’s birthday for the past three years
Birthdays can be fun but often with age they can bring complications… especially if you are currently in a family feud with one of the world’s most popular royal families.
This year marked Prince Harry’s 40th birthday, and, to much surprise, both King Charles and Prince William marked the occasion. King Charles shared his well wishes via the official Royal Family social media, which read, “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!”
Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, took a slightly different approach. Rather than crafting their own post, they simply reshared 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 nearly identical.
For both King Charles and Prince William, this was a significant gesture, as neither had acknowledged Harry’s birthday for the past three years. Many have speculated it is an olive branch. The birthday wishes come after years of tension within the family exasperated when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from royal duties and later gave a 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 due to make a visit to the UK again later this month to attend the national 2024 WellChild Awards in London. We may even see a belated royal family visit between Prince Harry and King Charles whose schedule was too full the last time Prince Harry was in the UK.
