The royal family’s birthday messages to Prince Harry on his 40th birthday “protect themselves” from any future bombshells he may launch as it projects them as the party “interested in peace” amid the widening royal rift, a British morning show has heard.
Harry celebrated his 40th birthday on Sunday and is expected to have passed the day quietly with his wife, Meghan Markle, and two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, at their family home in Montecito, California.
In the years since Harry split from the monarchy and moved to the U.S., his relationships with his brother, Prince William, and father, King Charles III, have garnered increased public interest.
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In interviews and media projects, Harry has made a number of revelations about his family, none more so than in his 2023 memoir, Spare. At the time of its publication, he confirmed that he wasn’t currently speaking to his father or brother. His rift with William appears to be intact, as reports as late as August observed that though both brothers attended a family funeral, they didn’t interact.
Against this backdrop of family feuding, there was speculation in Britain this month as to whether the royals would publicly mark Harry’s birthday milestone with some kind of acknowledgment on social media.
This did take place, with the official royal family account representing the monarchy and Charles posting: “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!”
William and Princess Kate’s followed suit with the message: “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”
Though the posts could appear simply courteous, Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent Jack Royston told Good Morning Britain on Monday that they act as an important form of self-defense.
“The warmer that the royal family is to Harry the more they protect themselves from any future attacks by him,” he told show hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.
“Because if they’re nice to him and they’re showing themselves to be the side that’s interested in peace and he keeps attacking them, he will destroy himself.”
“He will only destroy his own reputation and not just in Britain, but in America too,” he added. “Because after Spare came out they had a massive crash in their popularity in America.”
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Harry via email for comment.
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Harry’s popularity has fluctuated since taking an initial dive after splitting from the monarchy.
In January 2023, the month that Spare was published his popularity—along with Meghan’s—hit an all-time low on both sides of the Atlantic.
The couple have been slow to regain support across demographics, though remain popular among younger people.
When Spare was released, Harry was asked by British journalist Tom Bradby if he was concerned about becoming stuck in the past, perpetually bringing up past grievances. To this Harry said he was now focused on the future.
“We always knew that these two projects, both the Netflix documentary and the book, you know, one being our story and one very much being my story, they were look-back projects,” he said, going on to state that they were “essential for historical fact and significance.”
“There’s a lot of relief now that both these projects have been completed,” he said. “And now we can focus on looking forward and I’m excited about that. So, no I’m not stuck in the past and I will never be stuck in the past.”
This criticism of Harry being focused too heavily on the past has persisted, though on the cusp of his fifth decade, he told the BBC on Friday that he was “excited” for the future.
“I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40,” he said. “Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world.
“Becoming a father of two incredibly kind and funny kids has given me a fresh perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus in all my work. Being a dad is one of life’s greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place.
“Bring on the next decade.”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
