Could the Royal Family’s birthday wishes for Prince Harry be a sign of reconciliation?

Sep 18, 2024
Could the Royal Family's gesture be the first step towards healing, or just a fleeting moment of goodwill? Source: Getty Images.

When the Royal Family recently extended birthday wishes to Prince Harry, many were quick to speculate if reconciliation might be on the horizon.

Since Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from royal duties in 2020, tensions between him and the family have remained strained, with minimal interaction between both sides.

The move was driven by the pair’s desire for a more independent and private life, distancing themselves from the intense media scrutiny that had been a constant presence in their lives.

However, royal watchers found hope in the possibility of a thawing in the icy relationship when the Royal Family posted their best wishes to Harry on social media for his birthday.

“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” the Royal Family wrote alongside a picture of a smiling Harry.

Surprisingly, Prince William and Princess Catherine also extended birthday wishes to Prince Harry by sharing the Royal Family’s post on their social media channels.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)

Despite the optimism sparked by this gesture, a friend of William and Catherine revealed that, at least from their side, there is no intention to reach out to Harry.

“The honest truth is that William has no interest right now in reaching out to Harry and Meghan,” the friend told the Daily Beast.

“He regards what Harry said in his book (i.e. his memoir, Spare) as unforgivable and, understandably given Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, just wants to focus on his wife and family first and his job second.

“There isn’t space for a complicated reconciliation process with Harry. It’s not a priority.”

While some may still cling to the hope that the birthday wishes may serve as an olive branch, former royal reporter Michael Cole has previously claimed there is “too much bad blood” between the pair.

“William has done his duty. In great contrast to Prince Harry. Now, I don’t think there’s any chance at all of there being a reconciliation with the brothers now or in the foreseeable future,” Cole recently told GB News.

“It goes back to Oprah Winfrey interview, then the book Spare and all the things that were said in the Netflix six part series.

“There is too much bad blood. William is not going to forgive that, principally because he, of course, and his wife attacked personally, his wife, Kate.

“Even when the announcement of her cancer was mad their mealy mouthed response to it didn’t show any great concern for her.

“William looks at them and and he would say what most people would say. All of this is completely unnecessary.

“Prince Harry has had a wonderful, privileged life. He owes everything to being a member of the Royal Family. He’s good looking. He’s married to a beautiful wife. He’s got two healthy, beautiful children.”

“He’s got more money than we could shake a stick at. People who are struggling, people who are battling would wonder why he’s so upset.”

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