For the first time in three years, the royal family sent the estranged Prince Harry a birthday message as he turned 40 on Sunday.
“Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!” posted the official Royal Family X account.
The congratulations were accompanied by a photo taken at Dogpatch Labs during a visit to Dublin, Ireland in July 2018, when Prince Harry was still a royal employee.
The birthday message comes after Prince Harry’s family had not made a public statement about his birthday since Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022.
Due to new practices implemented when Prince Charles ascended to the throne, the royal family did not officially celebrate the birthday of his second son, Prince Charles, last year.
At the time, the new monarch limited her social media posts to only focus on working members of the royal family.
The account did not mention the birthday of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, which is on August 4.
Prince Harry is also expected to receive calls from members of his family.
“Harry will be hearing from his family,” a palace source told The Post exclusively. “Prince Charles and Duchess Kate will likely call to wish Harry happy birthday.”
Prince Harry will likely speak to his father and sister-in-law, but not his brother, Prince William.
Prince Charles, 42, is unlikely to contact Prince Harry “given everything that has happened.”
Prince Harry and Prince William met at the funeral of their uncle, Sir Robert Fellowes, on August 28.
A source told The Post that Prince Harry attended the funeral “in a personal capacity” and did not extend his stay. The source said Prince Harry flew in to attend the funeral and departed shortly after.
Prince Harry will celebrate his milestone birthday this year with a massive $8.5 million cash bonus, arranged by his late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
To celebrate Prince Harry’s special day, Markle is planning a star-studded party in Montecito.
Following the birthday celebrations, Prince Harry will travel to New York City to “promote a number of his sponsorships and charitable causes.” His trip to New York coincides with the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week and Climate Week.
