It’s not every day that you protect your reputation by publicly announcing you weren’t invited to a party, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had to do just that after British tabloids reported that they’d snubbed Harry’s dad on the occasion of his 75th birthday party.
Over the weekend the Sunday Times apparently reported that King Charles III & Co. would be celebrating his milestone birthday without his youngest son, and the wording implied that it was Harry who was refusing to cross the pond for the big day, per People. In response, a spokesperson for the Sussexes released a statement: “In response to UK media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday. It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story.”
While it’s sad that the family won’t be together, this isn’t unexpected or, honestly, unreasonable: Harry has said multiple times that he fears for his family’s safety when they’re in the UK, and he knows that his visit would overshadow his dad’s birthday and be picked apart even more than his absence is. Still, King Charles walked Meghan down the aisle at her wedding. This is sad!
Harry’s also not on the best of terms with his brother, Prince William, who wasn’t a fan of the revelations in Harry’s memoir, Spare. And probably the Netflix docuseries. The last we heard about their relationship was in August, when a source revealed that “the situation with his father and brother is still very difficult for [Harry]…Meghan is always supportive of it, though. She used to be negative about it. It seems she has kind of moved on now. They have moved continents. They have set up a new life with their kids.” The source added that Markle “just wants to focus on their kids and their life in Montecito.” Read a full timeline of the falling out here.
Though Harry won’t be there in person, hopefully he and Meghan Markle can send along a gift, ideally picked out by Markle, as Harry’s a notoriously bad shopper.
