For the first time in three years, the Royal Family acknowledged Prince Harry 's birthday on their official social media platforms, a courtesy extended to all working royals but which came as something of a surprise given the Duke of Sussex's estrangement from The Firm. In what could be seen as a strategic peace offering, the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales publicly extended birthday wishes to Prince Harry on his 40th birthday yesterday. Both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace took to their social media platforms within hours of each other, as the Duke of Sussex geared up for celebrations in California.
The chosen image of Harry, captured during his tenure as a working Royal in 2018, was taken during a visit to a Dublin start-up with Meghan by his side. However, she was noticeably absent from the frame, seemingly cropped out by the original photographer at the time. READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson confesses he and Grand Tour co-stars were 'mostly smashed' during filming It was reported the palace emphasised behind the scenes that this was merely following 'tradition', where public birthday wishes are extended on 'significant' birthdays even for non-working royals.
Both Meghan and Andrew, the Duke of York, have had their milestone birthdays celebrated in this manner in recent years - her 40th and his 60th - despite their individual issues with the Royal Family. Buckingham Palace was the first to make a move, posting a jovial picture of Harry from his trip to Ireland .