Royal family wishes Prince Harry happy birthday for first time under King’s reign

The Prince and Princess of Wales have publicly wished the Duke of Sussex a happy birthday for the first time in three years.

The social media post, complete with a picture of a smiling Duke and an emoji of a birthday cake, said: “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”

The post had quoted an earlier message from the Royal family’s official account, again the first in three years, which said: “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!”

The Duke is understood to have spent the day with the Duchess of Sussex and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, at home in California, before reportedly attending a gathering with friends in the mountains.

Reflecting on a milestone birthday, the Duke told the BBC: “I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40.” He described how fatherhood had given him a renewed sense of purpose to make “this world a better place”.

He added: “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.”

The past decade has been unsettling for the Duke, as his familial relationships frayed when he relinquished his royal duties in January 2020.

The Duke maintains a strained relationship with the King. Upon hearing about his cancer diagnosis in February, the Duke rushed from America to see him but only stayed for 45 minutes.

While the Duke reportedly has ambitions of patching up his relationship with his father and brother, the Prince of Wales is said to have remained apparently steadfast in his estrangement, in the aftermath of the Duke’s public airing of personal grievances.

In the Duke’s 416-page book, Spare, he claims his brother physically attacked him during an argument about the Duchess of Sussex.

He claims the Prince of Wales called the Duchess “difficult”, “rude”, and “abrasive” before grabbing the Duke by the collar and throwing him to the floor, landing on a dog bowl and breaking a necklace in the process.

Elsewhere in the book, the Duke pinned the blame for the fancy dress Nazi uniform on the Prince and Princess of Wales and spoke of a row between his wife and the Princess of Wales, which left the former in tears.

He referred to the Prince as his “beloved brother” and “archnemesis”.

The brothers are understood to have had no communication during the ongoing rift. The funeral of their uncle, Lord Fellowes, placed them in the same room for the first time this year, it has been reported. But one witness at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, reported that the pair gave each other a wide berth.

After a flurry of multimedia appearances on which he aired grievances, the Duke has softened his rhetoric towards the Royal family. The Duke is thought to have privately reached out to the Princess of Wales following news of her cancer diagnosis.

The Duke has also deflected the cause for the family’s collapse, telling the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial that his various media lawsuits were the “central piece” to the family split.

He said that it would have been nice if they could have done it together, adding: “I think everything that’s played out has shown people what the truth of the matter is. For me, the mission continues, but it has… yes. It’s caused… part of a rift.”

Asked at the Winter Invictus Games in February this year whether illness in the family could have a “reunifying” effect for the Royals, he told Good Morning America: “I’m sure. Throughout all these families, I see it all on a day to day basis. The strength of the family unit coming together.”