The Duke of Sussex is celebrating his birthday tomorrow – but for a previous milestone birthday, his party was cancelled at the last minute to accommodate his sister-in-law
Prince Harry will be celebrating his 41st birthday tomorrow, no doubt surrounded by his friends and family in California, just days after returning from his whirlwind trip to the UK – and visit to Ukraine.
While the Duke of Sussex may very well be planning a huge birthday bash, for his birthday 11 years ago, his party plans were abruptly halted due to his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales.
Back for Harry’s 30th, when he was still a working member of the royal family before he met Meghan Markle, the Prince was planning a huge party with the help of his brother Prince William and his wife for his milestone birthday.
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In fact, it was reported that in the lead-up to his 30th birthday in 2014, William and Kate set about planning an intimate family birthday dinner for Harry, with the guest list including his royal cousins Princesses Beatrice, Eugenie and Zara Tindall as well as close pals at Kensington Palace.
However, it seems that Harry pulled the plug on the bash at the last minute as the day approached. Just before his birthday, the now-Princess of Wales started suffering from severe morning sickness while pregnant with Princess Charlotte.
At the time, Kensington Palace officials confirmed that Kate had been suffering morning sickness after becoming pregnant for a second time. And in light of his sister-in-law being under the weather at the time, Harry called off the party.
A source told the Mirror at the time: “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.”
However, Vanity Fair later claimed that the party did go ahead at a later date – but it was at Clarence House instead of Kensington Palace, with King Charles even sending champagne for guests to enjoy.
Prince Harry and Princess Kate ’s relationship is worlds away from where it was in 2014, with the in-laws not crossing paths last week while the Duke of Sussex was on a rare trip to the UK.
On the day he arrived in his home country, Prince Harry travelled to Windsor to honour the life of the late Queen Elizabeth on what was the third anniversary of her death. Just 8 miles away, the Prince and Princess of Wales were also paying tribute to the late monarch with a visit to the Women’s Institute in Sunningdale.
The Princess of Wales was not due to join William at the event, but she made a last minute decision to support him on the heartbreaking anniversary. It’s thought Kate’s last-minute appearance with William at the event could well be a strategic move on her part, with Judi James noting that the mum of three could be trying to “avoid being check-mated by the rogue royal”.
Speaking with the Mirror, Judi explained: “We’ve already seen Harry on a ring doorbell looking like a fan of the impromptu drop-in, and William’s outing to Sunningdale might have left one (future) queen alone and socially vulnerable if a request for afternoon tea was made.
“Kate and Harry used to be so close, and whereas a ‘Sorry I’m up in Sunningdale’ response might be neutral and polite enough, being at home, but turning him down could make Kate risk being made to look like the bad guy when Harry reported back to the US.
“There’s a huge difference between being unavailable and appearing to actively shun someone, and the movements of the royals today suggest they are very mindful of the dangers of the ‘Harry effect’ on their own image and popularity.”
