How King Charles Will Celebrate His Birthday This Year Without Prince Harry
Because of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle‘s ongoing rift with the royal family, many were wondering if the duke and duchess would be invited to the U.K. for King Charles III‘s 75th birthday on Nov. 14. After a report claimed that Harry snubbed an invite to his father’s birthday celebration, a spokesperson for the prince fired back saying that he was never invited in the first place.
Here’s more on that and why some former royal family employees were confused by all the chatter about a party because of how the monarch celebrates his actual birthday.
Why Prince Harry wasn’t invited to England for King Charles’ 75th birthday
Following news that Prince Harry was “skipping” the king’s birthday, the Sussexes’ spokesperson clarified: “In response to U.K. media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday.”
A friend of the Duke of Sussex told The Sunday Times that Charles, who reportedly hasn’t spoken to his youngest son since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022, misses him but the rest of the royals aren’t ready to welcome Harry back into the fold.
“The family has firmly shut the door on [the Sussexes] for the time being because of the documentary and the book,” the insider claimed. “Before those, there was always the hope that some things might be mended. The king will be faster to forgive than the family because Harry is his son, but the door is still more shut than ajar at the moment.”
A source close to the king added: “There is the sense of a cooling-off period from the family that is underway after the aftershocks of the book and the interviews. But that doesn’t change the king’s love for his son. He’ll never not invite [Harry] to a family gathering because that’s not who he is.”
How King Charles will likely celebrate his birthday without his youngest son
All the talk about Harry being or not being invited to the U.K. for King Charles’ birthday bash seems a little odd to some who used to work for the monarch since the royals don’t usually celebrate with big parties on their actual birthdays.
Paul Burrell began working in then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s household in 1987. He revealed that while there are public annual celebrations like Trooping the Colour, the king’s actual birthday will be pretty low-key as that day is “not really celebrated” privately within the family.
“People whisper ‘happy birthday’ around the residence but that’s about it,” Burrell said per Slingo. “The only other time it would be mentioned, which I think will happen on the king’s birthday, is when the pipe major plays underneath his bedroom window. He may throw in a small ‘Happy Birthday.'”
Grant Harrold, who was King Charles’ butler for seven years from 2004 to 2011, agreed that there won’t be a big party when the monarch turns 75.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie Harrold explained: “It won’t be a huge celebration as it isn’t a big milestone. For him, it’s just another year. Birthdays aren’t a massive thing to be celebrated for the royals. He will be happy to be spending it with his family, but it’s not a special occasion. He will still be working.”
