Prince William and Kate Middleton Share Surprising Public Message to Harry on His Birthday

This is the royal family's first post about Prince Harry's birthday in three years.

By Michael Hein

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex turned 40 years old on Sunday, Sept. 15 and he got a public birthday message from his brother Prince William and Sister-in-law Kate Middleton. Many royal admirers weren't expecting the Prince and Princess of Wales to mark the occasion considering the ongoing feud between the two princes. According to a report by The New York Post, this was the first time Prince William and Middleton have posted a public birthday message for Prince Harry in the last three years.

The official British royal family account on X – formerly known as Twitter – posted a photo of Prince Harry on Sunday, along with the message: "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!" The official account for Prince William and Middleton quoted that post, adding: "Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex!" Commenters wasted no time in speculating about the post, wondering if the Prince and Princess of Wales were "pressured into" making it, or were following some obscure rule or precedent.

Of course, many fans were pleased to see the post, no matter why they thought it was made. They still hope to see a reconciliation within the royal family, and want the best for both Prince Harry's family and the working royals in the U.K. That seems like more and more of a distant hope these days, but with Prince William judiciously avoiding commentary on his brother, it's hard to say.

The royal family has not commented on Prince Harry's birthday since 2022, but according to the Post, there's a practical explanation for that. The late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly limited social media posts about royal family members' personal lives, including birthday celebrations. The general rule these days is to only acknowledge milestone birthdays like 40 for non-working royals like Prince Harry. This explains why the royal accounts did not make posts about Meghan Markle's birthday last month.

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On a personal level, insiders said that Prince Harry is likely to get a private call from the royal family on Sunday. They said: "Harry will hear from his family. It's very like that Charles and Kate will likely phone Harry to wish him well on his birthday." However, they said Prince William is unlikely to call his younger brother "given everything that has gone on."

Meanwhile, at home, Markle has reportedly organized a massive birthday party for Prince Harry at their home in Montecito, California. The prince will be surrounded by friends and colleagues as well as his wife and his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

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