King Charles Spoke to Prince Harry on His Birthday, Sources Believe

When King Charles posted a congratulatory message to Prince Harry over the weekend to mark his son’s 40th, it was the olive branch Harry had been hoping for.

After all, this was the first public acknowledgment from the king toward his son in two years. Last week, sources close to the king told VF that the monarch was planning to mark his son’s birthday in some way, and the brief but thoughtful social media post issued on Sunday was deemed appropriate.

It read: “Wishing the Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” alongside a cake emoji. The post was accompanied by a photo of Prince Harry during a trip he and Meghan took to Dublin in 2018, when they were still working royals. Some publications claimed that the Duchess of Sussex had been deliberately cropped out of the photo; however, the palace said that the unaltered image was taken of Harry on his own.

Aides have refused to comment on whether the king spoke to his son over the weekend when Harry was celebrating, but sources close to Charles insist he would have talked to Harry on his birthday.

“Usually it’s the case that when a birthday has a zero in it, then that milestone is marked with a social media post,” says one royal insider. “It was always the king’s intention to publicly acknowledge his son’s 40th, and I am sure that the king will have spoken to Harry on his birthday. After all, it is his son, and whatever has happened, Charles loves Harry unconditionally as any parent does, and Sunday was an important day.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales also took to social media to wish Harry a happy birthday. “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex!’” However, according to insiders, the estranged brothers are not on speaking terms following the damaging allegations about their relationship in Harry’s autobiography. According to one source: “It’s going to take more than Harry turning 40 to soften the rift between the two of them.”

Yet there is more optimism regarding Harry’s relationship with his father, who is said to be “hopeful” of getting his relationship with his youngest son back on track. According to a source close to the king: “Charles would like relations to be better and he’s curious to see how things will evolve. Harry has to regain some of the trust that has been shattered first, though.”

The king, who was seen attending a church service in Scotland on his son’s 40th birthday, is said to be relieved that Harry’s updated paperback edition of Spare does not include any new chapters or material that might have proven embarrassing to the royal family, and following their one-on-one meeting in February, when Harry flew to the UK to see Charles following his cancer diagnosis, relations are said to have improved.

“They do speak on the phone. Charles wants to know what’s going on in Harry’s life and hear about the children, but he’s guarded because Harry has breached the trust between them on a number of occasions. Charles needs to know their private conversations remain just that. Private.”

Prince Harry, who was seen attending Tyler Perry’s 55th birthday party on Saturday evening with Meghan, is said to want to come to the UK more frequently. However, he remains concerned about his personal protection after the UK’s Home Office ruled he was not entitled to taxpayer-funded security. He is challenging the decision through the courts and has said he will not bring his family over to the UK until the issue of his security is properly addressed.

According to the Daily Mail, Harry could be planning to make a solo trip to London in the coming weeks to attend the WellChild Awards, as he is patron of the charity. Should he fly over, it could be an opportune time for him to see his father following Charles’s return to England from Scotland.