Why You Won't See Royal Birthday Shoutouts To Prince Archie & Princess Lilibet Anytime Soon
Buckingham Palace has certainly been unhappy with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry over the past few years. So, when there was no public acknowledgment of their son Prince Archie's birthday from the rest of the royal family, it was easy for fans to assume that this was yet another snub toward Harry. Interestingly, though, the silence Archie received from the royals on his birthday is more a matter of royal protocol. And, as a result, Princess Lilibet shouldn't be expecting a birthday shoutout from her family this year, either.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, the newly minted King Charles III changed the royal rules for social media. The new rule states that internet posts will only honor working members of the royal family. While this protocol makes sense for the royal family to follow, like many things, it gets a bit more complicated concerning Harry and Meghan. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now famously stepped down from their roles as working royals. As a result, Harry, Meghan, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, won't receive any public "happy birthday" messages from the palace. While this is all according to the rules, it certainly worsens the divide between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family.
King Charles toasted to Archie's birthday last year
On May 6, 2024, Prince Archie celebrated his 5th birthday. Archie's fourth birthday just so happened to fall on his grandfather's coronation in 2023. Prince Harry attended his father's coronation, but Meghan Markle and their children did not. Still, King Charles III reportedly did toast to his grandson's birthday on his own special day. He was said to have toasted to "those that weren't there," adding a special "happy birthday" to Archie "wherever he was," per the Daily Mail. A source said, "It was apparently a very sweet moment."
Charles easily could have left word of Archie's birthday out of his coronation entirely if he wanted to due to the bad blood with Harry and Meghan. However, the fact that he made mention of his grandson does imply that he was thinking of him on what was one of the biggest days of his life. This makes it seem that the palace's refusal to give Archie a public shoutout on his birthday has everything to do with the protocol in place. On June 4, 2024, Princess Lilibet will be turning 3, and it's safe to assume that she won't be receiving a "happy birthday" post, either, just like her mom didn't on her 42nd birthday in August.
Charles reportedly planned on sending Archie a present
While the royal family didn't publicly wish Prince Archie a happy 5th birthday they may have reached out to him privately. It seems that King Charles and Harry's feud must keep the king estranged from Archie and Lilibet. After all, Charles' schedule was reportedly too busy to even see Harry when he visited the United Kingdom in May 2024.
However, rumor has it that Charles did send Archie a 5th birthday gift. Royal family expert Tom Quinn explained to Mirror that there has "been talk that he will send one of his own watercolour paintings to Archie as a present as Meghan loves homemade gifts and dislikes extravagant expensive presents." Quinn added that Charles is "desperately worried" that a gift "may be misinterpreted by Harry and Meghan."
Regardless, Charles seemingly wants a relationship with Archie. "King Charles dislikes new technology, but is desperate to keep in touch with his grandchildren on the other side of the Atlantic so he will certainly call Harry and wish Archie 'Happy Birthday,'" Quinn said. He added that the monarch has "been asking about video calling, but according to his aides, he's uncomfortable with the idea. If he makes an ordinary telephone call to Harry it means he can have a quick word with Archie without the need to talk to Meghan, a prospect that fills him with dread." Clearly, this feud certainly complicates Charles' relationship with his grandkids, but from the sound of it, he's still committed to reaching out.