Prince Harry's Surprising Birthday Wishes From Royals Is The Ice-Thawing Gesture No One Expected

We don't know yet what gifts he got from wife Meghan Markle for his birthday, but Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, got a most unexpected treat from his closest family members. On September 15, both King Charles III and William, Prince of Wales, sent Harry greetings on social media. The monarch posted a picture of his son seated at a table with a delighted smile on his face, with a cake emoji and the caption: "Wishing the Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!" Similarly, the Wales family reposted the palace's greetings on X, formerly Twitter, and echoed the greeting: "Wishing a happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex!"

It was a gesture no one expected — perhaps least of all the birthday boy. The palace has a policy of not giving public shout-outs to family members who aren't working royals. (To be fair, it's a big clan; honoring every last great-nephew and second cousin would require a separate Instagram account.) This explains why Harry's children, Archie and Lilibet, don't get honored by their grandfather and uncle on their birthdays. Nor do Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, whose inner circle includes the Sussexes, but who still maintain a good relationship with the king. Now the internet is buzzing with curiosity: Did Charles and William make an exception because this was a milestone birthday? Or could this finally be the beginning of the end of the years-long feud between Harry, William and their dad?

King Charles' enthusiastic wishes for his younger son (note the cute cake and exclamation point!) are heartwarming and indicate their fence-mending is making good progress. Prince Harry's quick response to Charles' cancer diagnosis proves their love is stronger than their drama. Shortly after the king announced his illness, Harry jumped on a plane to the U.K. to be with his father. The duke also put his grudges aside to honor his grandmother Queen Elizabeth at her 2022 funeral, and to attend his father's coronation months later. The social media recognition would seem to contradict an unnamed friend's claims to People that the king is snubbing his son's attempts to reach out.

But the bigger surprise is Prince William's gesture. The brothers' relationship is considered even icier than that of Harry's with Charles; the two are said not to be on speaking terms at all. The Sussexes have also been accused of trying to hog the spotlight from William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, on a number of occasions. Harry and Meghan's announcement of their new Netflix documentary, for instance, was called suspicious, coming as it did just hours after Kate Middleton told the world she had finished her chemotherapy treatment. Could these family health crises have softened William's attitude toward "Harold," perhaps enough to start some real healing? 

Royals fans certainly see it as a good sign. Responses to the palace's Instagram post included comments like, "Could there be a recon[ciliation] coming?" and "Thanks to the [British royal family] for treating him this way despite all that he has done. It's a magnanimous gesture from the BRF. I hope he grows up now and stop[s] whining."