Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly not been invited to King Charles III’s birthday celebrations this upcoming weekend. The Sunday Times reported that the estranged Prince and his wife had turned down an invitation to the royal family’s birthday party, but a rep for Harry and Markle responded publicly, saying that was not true. The rep told PEOPLE that Prince Harry and Markle have not been invited at all.
“In response to U.K. media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday. It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story,” the spokesperson said. King Charles’ birthday is on Tuesday, Nov. 14, but he and his family will reportedly be celebrating this weekend. The king turns 75 this year, but his younger son says he has not been invited to attend. Royal experts are trying their best to guess what all of this could mean for the state of this infamous relationship.
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Prince Harry stepped back from official royal duties in 2020 and moved to the U.S. with Markle where they are now working in the entertainment industry. There have been plenty of conflicting reports about why they left and what their relationship with the royals is like, but the prince himself claims in his memoir that his father did not want to give Markle any official duties as part of the family. Additionally, there were issues between Markle and the institution of the monarchy as well as alleged racist remarks that made the Duchess of Sussex feel unsafe.
Prince Harry has said that he wants to make amends with his father and brother, but only if they apologize to Markle and sit down for a frank conversation. Insiders have told PEOPLE that the king intends to arrange a meeting like that, but expects a mutual apology from Harry.
Meanwhile, most reports say that things between Prince Harry and Prince William are even more tenuous. A source told Entertainment Tonight: “It’s been stone-cold silence between the two brothers and that’s continued since the queen’s funeral through the release of the Netflix series, the book, and, of course, now [the corontation]. I don’t think things will change.”
The king and his offices have not responded publicly to Prince Harry’s claim that he was not invited to a birthday party this weekend. The king turns 75 on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
