Prince Harry
He declined an invitation to King Charles’ birthday party
© ZUMA Press / imago images
King Charles will soon celebrate his 75th birthday. However, the monarch apparently has to forego the presence of Prince Harry: it is said that the Duke of Sussex has canceled his participation in the celebration.
The year 2023 has held many highlights for King Charles, 74. After his coronation at Westminster Abbey in May, he celebrated several firsts as monarch. For example, he recently made his first state visit as king to a Commonwealth country in Kenya. The next milestone is coming up in a few days: Charles will be 75 years old on November 14th. The Regent should spend the special day with his family without much hustle and bustle – but Prince Harry, 39, will not celebrate with his father.
Cancellation! King Charles has to celebrate his birthday without Prince Harry
King Charles wants to celebrate his special day in a “family-oriented” way at Clarence House and toast with his wife Queen Camilla, 76, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, both 41, and other royals. It should be a quiet, small celebration, a source told the British Telegraph. “His Majesty doesn’t make much of a fuss about such things anyway, but he is sure [auch] aware that there have been many royal events recently. He is adamant that his birthday celebrations will be minimal,” the insider said.
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However, one important guest will be missing: As the “Sunday Times” reports, King Charles invited his second-born to the private party – but Prince Harry is said to have declined; he will not be traveling from California. It is the second time that the Duke of Sussex is said to have turned down an invitation from his father. On the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death, †96, on September 6, 2023, Harry also reportedly rejected Charles’ offer to spend time with him at Balmoral.
Relations between Harry and the Royal Family remain tense
This information is not entirely surprising, after all the relationship between Harry and the Royal Family has been strained since his resignation as senior royal. In the past few months, the 39-year-old and Duchess Meghan, 42, have repeatedly fired shots at the British royal family: whether in their Netflix documentary, numerous interviews or Harry’s memoirs.
As a result, the dropout royal’s relationship with his royal family continued to suffer. “Communication between the King and Prince Harry remains quite poor. They don’t speak to each other much,” a source said, according to the Telegraph. Traditionally, King Charles always spoke on the telephone with his two sons on Sundays. While he continued to speak to William weekly, his conversations with Harry became fewer and fewer. It remains to be seen whether Harry will bring himself to call on his father’s birthday after his rejection.
Sources used: telegraph.co.uk, thetimes.co.uk