Prince Harry recently celebrated his 40th birthday. The Duke reportedly had quiet celebrations with his closest family and friends, and though his feud with the Royal Family remains very much a matter of speculation, for the big day at least there appeared to be a ceasefire.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s and Prince William and Kate Middleton’s social media accounts sent their best birthday wishes to Harry, to the surprise of many royal fans. One royal expert suggested that it was possibly Kate, the Princess of Wales, who “persuaded” Prince William to send his little brother regards to mark the occasion.
It’s said that Harry and Kate used to have a great relationship, though that’s certainly no longer the case. In the past the two appeared to share something of a bond, with the estranged prince even terming her the “sister he never had.“
Of course, birthdays are always occasions to celebrate, and it’s apparently no different where the Royal Family are concerned. Yet back when Harry turned 30, he reportedly decided to call off his birthday plans for one very emotional reason… and it had to do with Kate Middleton.
Prince Harry’s relationship with the Royal Family went swirling down the drain the minute he and Meghan Markle decided to speak out in their infamous Oprah Winfrey interview of 2021. The couple’s Netflix series and Harry’s memoir, Spare, only compounded the differences between the two parties, and today it seems as if any potential reconciliation is light years away.
Prince Harry & Kate Middleton
Sadly, it’s not only Harry’s relationship with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William, that have been ruined. No, his once-strong bond with Kate Middleton also lies in tatters.
When William met Kate Middleton while studying at university and ultimately decided to embark upon a serious romance with her, she and Harry developed a great relationship.
In Spare, Harry didn’t only write about the negative things he felt he had experienced during his time as a working royal, but also some great moments of his life. Some of those included Kate Middleton; he even reminisced about their first time meeting.
“I liked his new girlfriend. She was carefree, sweet, kind. She’d done a gap year in Florence, knew about photography, art. And clothes. She loved clothes,” Harry recalled.
He went on to praise her humor, explaining that he “liked seeing Kate laugh.”
“Better yet, I liked making her laugh,” Harry added. “And I was quite good at it. My transparently silly side connected with her heavily disguised silly side.”
Harry and Kate were a great match, and one can only imagine that Prince William was relieved that his little brother and girlfriend got along so well. Moreover, Harry praised Kate’s character in his book, writing that she was a “good match” for her brother.
“I loved my new sister-in-law,” Harry wrote. “I felt she was more sister than in-law, the sister I’ve never had and always wanted, and I was pleased that she’d forever be standing by Willy’s side. She was a good match for my older brother. They made each other visibly happy, and therefore I was happy too.”
Today, the relationship between Harry and Kate has soured. Meghan Markle and Kate’s relationship is reportedly even worse, but some figures still claim that the Princess of Wales might be the key to some sort of reconciliation between the Sussexes and the monarchy in the long run.
“They had a special bond”
That said, royal expert Christopher Andersen told Fox that while Harry and Kate were once close, she won’t be the one forging any peace talks between he and William.
“Kate was close to Harry, true,” Andersen said. “They had a special bond. They shared the same goofy sense of humor and laughed at the same jokes. Harry often said Kate was the sister he never had. Of course, Kate would like nothing better than to have the brothers kiss and make up. It would be one less cloud hanging over the royal family’s head.”
“But above all else, Kate is loyal to her husband,” Andersen went on. “She understands completely why William is still fuming. Kate is not about to pressure William while he has so much on his plate, notably her cancer and the king’s cancer battle as well.”
Andersen continued: “The last time Harry was at Balmoral Castle was in September 2022, when his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, died there. His absence from Balmoral this summer is just one more sign that the royal family – Kate included – prefer to have Harry out of sight and out of mind for the time being.”
The royal expert concluded by saying that Kate had made an effort to get the brothers to make amends in the beginning.
“One of the most poignant scenes in this whole saga was during Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, when Kate was seen stepping aside so the brothers could be together as they left the funeral service and walked up the hill to Windsor Castle,” he told Fox.
Prince Harry ‘offered olive branch’ to Kate Middleton
“When that didn’t work, Kate continued to try and soften up her husband. But Kate understandably threw up her hands when Harry trashed William and Charles in his memoir Spare two years later.”
When Kate underwent abdominal surgery in January and later received the terrible news of her cancer diagnosis, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to act. The Sussexes are said to have reached out and spoken to Kate to show their support.
While the couple reportedly found out about the princess’ cancer diagnosis on television, they’ve apparently shown nothing but great support for her during this very challenging time.
The Princess of Wales made her first public outing following her cancer treatment during Trooping the Colors, and at Wimbledon she received a standing ovation from the crowd. Not only were royal fans worldwide excited to see the princess in good spirits during the tennis tournament, but Harry and Meghan were too.
According to a Heat Magazine source, Harry extended an olive branch to Kate when he had seen her on the television in an attempt to patch up their relationship.
“Harry was watching Wimbledon and was thrilled to see Kate looking so radiant. He sent her a note to congratulate her and let her know how happy he was to see her out,” the source said, per Marie Claire.
“He and Meghan are just so grateful that she’s on the mend and able to get back to her duties after taking time off.”
Prince Harry celebrates 40th birthday
It’s now been four years since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their duties with the Royal Family. As touched upon, the intervening time period has seen many accusations and claims made against the monarchy. While it’s said that Harry misses his old lifestyle, making amends with his family – more specifically King Charles and Prince William – seems like a lifetime away.
However, in the middle of what appears to be an emotional roller coaster for Harry, he’s also experienced many happy moments. One of those occurred on Sunday, September 15, as he turned 40. According to the BBC, he celebrated the big day with family in California and later went on a vacation with his closest friends.
“I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40,” Harry told BBC ahead of his birthday.
“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 prince said in a statement released by his spokesperson.
The Duke added: “Being a dad is one of life’s greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place.”
Though the Royal Family doesn’t seem to want anything to do with Harry, several birthday wishes were posted by the monarchy in honor of the Duke’s birthday.
“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” King Charles’ and Queen Camilla’s social media posts read.
Kate Middleton could be the key for Harry & William reconciliation
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s social media account also marked Harry’s birthday. Their post read: “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”
Prince Harry and King Charles’ relationship is slightly better than the one he shares with William, while the fact that the Prince and Princess of Wales’ decided that a post to mark Harry’s birthday was a good idea could mean things are heading in the right direction regarding salvaging things.
Writing in the Mirror, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond stated that while Prince Harry and Prince William might not manage to end the feud, the post could end their bitterness for each other.
“I don’t think this almost insignificant gesture signals the start of a reconciliation, but it is an unexpected twist,” Bond wrote.
“Landmark birthdays are often a time for taking a look at your life. This time it seems to be William who has been doing some re-evaluation. My gut feeling is that Catherine was influential in this slight softening of her husband’s implacable stand. In the film she made about the end of her chemotherapy, she told how cancer had given her a new perspective.”
Bond added that Kate Middleton could’ve “persuaded” William into thinking that “life is too short for grudges.” However, she stated that Harry and his brother’s relationship is “almost irretrievable.”
“William has so much on his plate that I don’t think he has time to deal with Harry. But first steps matter. And though the brothers may never be close again, it doesn’t mean the future has to be full of bad blood. Catherine is right. Family should always be paramount,” Bond said.
Why Prince Harry once cancelled birthday party because of Kate Middleton
Now, the Royal Family wouldn’t have celebrated Harry’s birthday in person, but it used to be a big event on the royal calendar when he was still a member of the fold.
It’s even been reported that Harry had to cancel his birthday plans once because of Kate Middleton. As reported by the Mirror, in the run-up to Harry’s 30th birthday, Prince William and Kate Middleton had planned an intimate dinner for Harry. The family was to attend, including his cousins and other close pals.
However, the day before his big day, Kate began suffering from severe morning sickness (she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte).
Harry, who, as mentioned, had a fantastic relationship with Kate, didn’t want to celebrate the birthday without his sister-in-law. In the end, the Duke called off the dinner entirely!
“Harry was in no doubt that the party should be postponed, even though 30 is an important milestone. Kate had been very involved in organising Harry’s party, and once she fell ill he felt it wrong to let the event go ahead,” a source told the Mirror.
While the part was called off, Vanity Fair reported that the party went ahead later – when Harry and Kate could finally celebrate the big day together.
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