Prince William's Birthday Wishes to Prince Harry May Have Been a Reluctant Move on His Part

Prince Harry’s 40th birthday was marked by sweet wishes from Buckingham Palace, and sent the reconciliation rumors into overdrive. Kensington Palace also retweeted and added their own message for the Duke of Sussex, but the real tea might be that Prince William was reportedly forced by King Charles III to say something nice to his estranged brother for his celebratory day.

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“🎂 Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today,” wrote The Royal Family on X with a smiling snapshot of the ginger-haired prince. William and Kate Middleton’s social media account didn’t add a new photo, they just quote tweeted the post with their own similar message, “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!” The Daily Beast noted that people shouldn’t read into these posts as an olive branch from the royal family, they are simply “routine” because it was a milestone birthday for Harry.

It seems that Prince William probably wouldn’t have done anything for his brother’s birthday if he didn’t get a nudge from King Charles. “It was just a company thing. Happy birthday blah blah blah,” a source told the media outlet. “It makes sense for Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace to align themselves on a little bit of essentially routine messaging around Harry. It shows William is willing to respect his father’s seniority and do what is asked of him.” Noticeably absent was William and Kate’s personal signature which usually adds a bit of warmth to the post, but no “W & C” initials were to be found.

The Prince of Wales has proven that his future reign is going to look much different than his father’s time on the throne. His recent video with Kate discussing her cancer update was reportedly met with a rather chilly reception at the palace. King Charles wasn’t necessarily a fan of his son and his wife engaging in so much PDA in the clip. “I can assure you that Charles and Camilla will not be filmed kissing each other on a beach [as William and Catherine were] until hell freezes over,” a source told the Daily Mail . “It’s distinctly un-regal.”

So, it isn’t a surprise that William apparently had to be coerced into sending a message to his brother amid the feud. Charles is all about keeping up with dignified appearances while the Prince of Wales isn’t hiding his dislike of his brother and his new life in the United States. However, some royal experts are calling William on his bluff of trying to control his public image while Charles is still king. “Kensington Palace going down this route of the Hollywood-style video does make me quite uneasy,” royal reporter Richard Eden said on the Palace Confidential talk show in December 2023. “William and Catherine are vulnerable to PR people who want them to be these slick celebrities. That’s not what the Royal Family is. It’s important to make that distinction.”

The old and the new guard at the palace have very different approaches, especially when it comes to handling the Prince Harry feud.

Click here to see a complete timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s feud with the royal family.