Royals issue public birthday message to Prince Harry amid rift
The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a public birthday message to the Duke of Sussex amid their family rift.
Kate and William wished Prince Harry a happy 40th birthday, with an old photo of him shared on Instagram.
“Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex,” the Prince and Princess of Wales wrote on Sunday morning.
The royal family's official Instagram account also marked the occasion, sharing their first public post for Harry since 2021.
“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” they wrote in the caption.
Many royal fans applauded their decision to acknowledge the occasion and wished the Duke a happy birthday.
“The Royals have class & it’s a milestone birthday that’s it. Nothing else should be interpreted into that,” one person wrote on X.
“It's great you've done this. Unify & lead, go towards peace, the world will watch & applaud,” another commented.
While a few others were "in disbelief" following the tensions created by the release of Prince Harry's memoir, Spare last year.
On Monday, Sunrise royal correspondent Rob Jobson spoke about the public message.
“I think it is better than nothing. I mean, the fact that they did it … They would have gotten more bother if they hadn’t done it, so by doing it they cover themselves,” Jobson said.
“(It would have been nicer) If it had been a bit more brotherly … rather than ‘we wish the Duke of Sussex a good day’, I think he could have been more personal. But it is better than nothing.”
Prince Harry, who turned 40 on September 15, is spending the milestone birthday with his wife Meghan and their two kids. He will then reportedly embark on a group trip with a few close friends to an unknown location.
In a statement to the BBC ahead of his birthday, the Duke of Sussex said: "I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40."
Image: Instagram