Once upon a time, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, and Prince William shared a close bond, with the Duke of Sussex and the Princess of Wales being each other’s confidante and best friend. But now? Now Harry is out to confirm that he is done taking his sister-in-law’s feelings into consideration.
At the moment, Harry has quite a lot to celebrate — his new Netflix documentary is on its way and just debuted its first trailer, his U.S. visa case has finally been terminated, and of course, the Duke’s upcoming 40th birthday.
Everyone’s 20th, 30th, and 40th birthdays are considered special, since they mark major transitions in their lives. These milestone birthdays are events deserving of mega celebrations, especially if you are a royal. And this year, the Duke is all set to not repeat the mistake he committed when he turned 30 — canceling his big birthday bash to celebrate his landmark age for Kate.
As reported by the Mirror at the time, his 30th birthday was being planned by William and Kate, who invited everyone from Harry’s royal cousins to his close friends at the Kensington Palace. But the second Harry learned that Kate was suffering severe morning sickness — she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte at the time — he called off the party.
“Harry was in no doubt that the party should be postponed, even though 30 is an important milestone. Kate had been very involved in organising Harry’s party, and once she fell ill he felt it wrong to let the event go ahead.”
While he did, eventually, celebrate his big day a few days later — sans William and Kate — he readily gave up the chance of acknowledging and celebrating his milestone… for the sake of Kate (the one whose mere presence messed up Harry’s love life)
Compared to what Kate was going through 10 years ago, her condition is even more worrying and major — the Princess recently battled cancer and underwent treatment to beat the illness. But now, whether it is the geographical distance or the emotional miles between them, Harry is not even entertaining the idea of spending his 40th quietly, in deference to Kate’s fragile health.
Prince Harry has 40th birthday plans, but Meghan Markle is not on the list
As per The Sun, his day will start with a private gathering of his small family at the Sussexes’ Montecito mansion. Soon after, he will leave to “enjoy a weekend getaway with a few of his closest mates,” but without Meghan and their kids, Archie and Lilibet, who are reportedly not a part of this big trip and will be staying at home.
Interpret that as you want — maybe Meghan’s gift to her husband is to spend a day away with just his closest friends, or maybe he really does have a tiff with his former Hollywood star of a wife (something that many British outlets love to “report”). Or, if you are former royal butler Paul Burnell, then it’s maybe because Harry “doesn’t have a soul” since he will be defying his former employee, who believes that the Duke needs to be “homesick,” use his birthday to reflect on his “past,” and spend it in “exile.”