Prince Harry, who turned 39 on September 15, spent his special day at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany. Alongside him was Meghan Markle, his wife, and together the couple relished a traditional German meal at a renowned brewery.
Despite this festive atmosphere, a prominent absence was felt: the Royal Family refrained from any public birthday wishes for the Duke of Sussex. Earlier in August, the Royal Family maintained silence on Meghan's birthday as well.
For the second consecutive year, the Royal Family’s official social media accounts, encompassing those of King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, remained silent on the occasion of Prince Harry's birthday. This silence extends to other family events as well. Neither Prince Archie nor Princess Lillibet, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children, received public birthday wishes from the royal household this year.
The relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the broader Royal Family has been tense, especially after the release of a Netflix docuseries involving the couple last December.
The rift deepened with the publication of Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare", this January. The book contained startling revelations about his associations with senior Royal Family members, including Prince William, his brother.
This silence isn't a one-off occurrence; even last year, Prince Harry's birthday was unacknowledged by the Royal Family, as per The Independent. The absence then was attributed to a period of national mourning, marking the death of Queen Elizabeth.
When the publication approached for comment, spokespersons for Kensington and Buckingham palaces chose not to respond. Meanwhile, the official social media account for Kate Middleton and Prince William shared a glimpse of their countryside excursion in England on September 15.
One of the users commented in the post, “It's Prince Harry's birthday today. Care to wish him well.” Another user wrote, “Happy birthday Prince Harry.” “Happy Birthday Harry. You did a great job with the invictus,” came from another user who wrote in reply to Kate and William’s Instagram post.
