13 November 2023 , 15:51
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King Charles will soon celebrate his 75th birthday – and most members of the Royal Family are said to be immensely “relieved” that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won’t be in town for the occasion. His Majesty reaches the milestone age tomorrow (Tuesday) and was reportedly hoping his son would return to the UK to join in the festivities.
However, it is understood that Harry, Meghan and their two children, Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, who are based in Southern California, have no plans to attend. Whispers of the so-called snub from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was welcomed, by some, with a sigh of relief, according to royal reporter Neil Sean.
“Let’s be very clear, most senior members of the British monarchy are more than relieved by the news that the two former royals known as Harry and Meghan are simply not going to be returning for the birthday celebrations,” he told Fox News. “The simple fact is, this news was a problem, but more importantly, who needs victims at a family celebration? This is the dilemma that faces most of the senior members of the family: while His Majesty, the King, would very much like to reconcile with his son, this is a bigger issue.”
Sean continued: “You will recall that Meghan stated that Harry had lost his father in a magazine interview, and this really cut through the heart of His Majesty, the King, who has always been there for his youngest son and felt that this was the worst possible thing that could be said publicly about him as a father.
“Five years ago, King Charles could never have anticipated exactly how this historic birthday would’ve panned out. However, reaching such a birthday has made him realise, according to close sources, just how difficult life as a reigning monarch can be. Fresh from the visit to Kenya alongside Queen Camilla, he had hoped that his troublesome youngest son Prince Harry may have relented and, at least on such a landmark birthday, decided to return to his birthplace, the United Kingdom… however, it wasn’t meant to be.”
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Main - How Prince Harry already 'overshadowed' King Charles birthday with another family squabbleHarry, 39, and Meghan, 42, who stepped down from their senior roles in the Royal Family in 2020, have hit back at reports they were invited to the celebrations in the first place – “There has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday,” a spokesperson for the couple told the NYT’s Messenger.
However, Sean noted that the pair “do plan at least to send private good wishes to his Majesty, the King, alongside a card from this grandchildren.”
The King is expected to celebrate with a low-key event attended by his nearest and dearest, sans his youngest, who published his explosive memoir Spare earlier this year. “It will be a very private affair, and this is because of the ongoing cost-of living crisis across the United Kingdom and around the world,” Sean added.
“He’s even requested cards, flowers, and gifts all be sent to local or his favourite charities, as he feels at 75 years old, he has simply got everything that he requires. What can you expect from Queen Camilla? Well, according to a very well-placed source, she’s got a brilliant sense of humor and sees the most fun opportunistic moments with something like a possible pen. One that leaks when you pick it up” – a cheeky nod to the King’s famous run-in with a leaky pen during a signing ceremony in Northern Ireland in September last year.
Harry, who is estranged from his older brother, William, the Prince of Wales, attended his father’s coronation earlier this year, and in September also flew back for a memorial service in honor of his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.