As the Duke of Sussex celebrated his 40th birthday on September 15, Prince Harry had two very big reasons to smile.
Blowing out his candles at a small do with wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, the duke suddenly found himself with a much-needed injection of cash.
Thanks to a trust fund established by his late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Harry is expected to inherit $16 million.
And possibly showing a thawing in the royal rift, several members of Harry’s family even took to social media to send him their well wishes on his special day.
“I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40,” Harry told the BBC in a statement ahead of the do.
“Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world.”
Here, WHO explores how Harry spent his big day and his new life in Montecito.
How did Prince Harry spend his 40th birthday?
Prince Harry spent his 40th birthday locally in Montecito where he lives with wife Meghan and their kids.
His 30th birthday was celebrated alongside brother Prince William with a black tie bash at Clarence House that was hosted by his father, but this milestone was much more low-key.
Over a sunny weekend, the Duke and Duchess stepped out to the George Zajfen Tennis Tournament in Los Angeles on September 14.
The event, which raised money to help support children in foster care, was sponsored by the Sussexes charity, the Archewell Foundation.
That evening, Harry and Meghan stepped out to a star-studded birthday party… that wasn’t for him.
The couple rubbed shoulders with celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys at the 55th birthday bash for their close friend Tyler Perry.
The next day, Harry was expected to celebrate on much less of a scale at home with a small party attended by close family and friends before heading off on a trip abroad to continue the celebration with mates.
“Harry is quite low-key when it comes to celebrating his birthday,” a close friend told Vanity Fair.
“This will be a special occasion, but not over-the-top and with the people he really counts as close friends.”
Did the royal family wish Harry a happy birthday?
In a surprising move, the official X and Instagram accounts for the British royal family released a social media post to mark Harry’s big day.
“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” read a note, shared along with a snap of the beaming prince that was taken on a visit to Dublin in 2018 when he was still a working royal.
Causing even more of a stir, the message was shared on the account belonging to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
But royal watchers who are hoping everyone will kiss and make up shouldn’t take this a sign all is now well with Windsors.
“William and Kate’s surprise birthday wishes to Harry do not signal a step towards reconciliation. Rather it shows that the Waleses don’t want to be criticised as churlish,” royal expert Tom Bower told the Mail Online.
“Being diplomatic costs them nothing and avoids criticism. The King understandably has congratulated his son but there’s no evidence of defrosting their relationship.”
In further telling signs that everything isn’t OK, Meghan didn’t appear in the picture that was shared by the palace despite sitting right beside him and William and his little brother are believed to have avoided each other when they attended the funeral of their uncle, Robert Fellowes, in Norfolk in late August.
“Noticeably when Harry attended the funeral of his uncle Robert Fellowes two weeks ago, he did not see his father. Nothing has changed,” Bower said.
“Harry refuses to apologise for the awful things he has said and written about his family and his family cannot see why Harry expects them to say sorry.”
What is Prince Harry doing now?
It has been a turbulent few years for Prince Harry, who stepped down from royal duties in early 2020 before eventually moving to the USA to start a new life with Meghan and their children.
As his family carries out a limited number of engagements due to King Charles and Princess Catherine continuing to recover from their respective cancer diagnosis’ there has been growing speculation that Harry might return to the UK to undertake full-time royal duties.
However, the prince has made it clear that he feels Britain is unsafe for his wife and children.
“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” Harry said in Tabloids on Trial.
“Whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is—and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Harry remains focused on his family, revealing that becoming a dad is “one of life’s greatest joys,” and explaining his kids have made him “more driven and more committed to making this world a better place.”
Despite not being able to keep his royal patronages, Harry has forged ahead with his commitment to a life of service.
In August 2024, he and Meghan launched The Parents Network.
The initiative, created through the Archewell Foundation, aims to give families the tools to help create a safer online environment.
Harry is also, no doubt, looking forward to the Vancouver Whistler Invictus Games that are scheduled to be held in February 2025.
The prince continues to still be treated like a rock star at the event, which he created for wounded and disabled service personnel a decade ago.
As the Sussexes have made moves to be financially independent of the royal purse, they have been forced to seek out several commercial ventures.
Harry is producing a new documentary for Archewell Productions that will focus on the fast-paced world behind the sport of Polo.
Polo is set to air on Netflix in December.
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