King Charles will turn 75 years old on November 14, 2023. Birthdays are joyous occasions when one gets to celebrate life. When you are a public figure, they can be complicated because everyone wants to celebrate with you. In King Charles’ case, his estrangement from his son Prince Harry was once again brought into the spotlight.
The Sunday Times reported that Harry would not be making the trip from California, implying that he had been invited. A spokesperson for Harry set the record straight: He never received an invitation.
"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. This statement appeared first on news website The Messenger.
According to his memoir Spare, Prince Harry’s estrangement from his family had been brewing for some time. He met his now wife Meghan Markle in 2016. The couple married in 2018 and stepped down as working royals in 2020. The couple and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, now live in Montecito, California.
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Despite the family tension, Harry did attend his father’s coronation. Meghan remained home with the kids as it was also Archie’s birthday. Harry left Westminster Abbey and went straight to the airport, skipping out on the rest of the weekend’s festivities to return home to his family.
A source told People Harry had hoped to have a conversation with his father when he attended the coronation. That never happened. In fact Harry’s invitation did not come directly from his father but from his staff.
"They didn't hear from Charles. Harry wanted to hear from his father directly — it's always through somebody," the source explained. Harry strongly wishes to have a "family, not an institution."
Harry chose to attend the coronation to support his father. "This is about a son showing up for his father rather than the optics of the institution," the source stated. Leading up to the big day, there was much speculation about whether or not he would attend.
Many were pleased that Harry attended the coronation, including Charles' former press secretary Colleen Harris. "I am delighted that Prince Harry was there,” she stated. “He would have personally regretted it if he wasn't there to support his father. Speaking as a mother, [I believe] it was the right thing … and the King [was] delighted."
Prince Harry has traveled to London since the coronation but did not see his family on these occasions. In September 2023, Harry participated in the WellChild Awards. His visit to London coincided with the first anniversary of his grandmother’s death so he visited her grave at Windsor Castle. His father was in Scotland at the time and his brother, Prince William, was in Wales.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
