Did Prince Charles' Instagram Message To Archie Have Hidden Meaning?

Prince Charles' update on his Instagram page on May 6 has some wondering if the 72-year-old Prince of Wales is attempting to mend his strained relationship with son Prince Harry, the 36-year-old Duke of Sussex. Weeks after Harry told Oprah Winfrey that his father stopped taking his calls after he stepped down as a senior royal (per Insider) and opted to move his family — including wife Meghan Markle, the 39-year-old Duchess of Sussex — to the United States, Charles sent birthday wishes to his 2-year-old grandson, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, aka Archie, via the Instagram page of the Clarence House.

As the Daily Mail shared on May 6, Prince Charles' social media activity was especially meaningful to many due to the fact that he had not sent birthday wishes to his other grandchildren, including Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who celebrated her 6th birthday on May 2, and Prince Louis Arthur Charles, who turned 3 on April 23.

According to the report, Charles' birthday message to Archie came just weeks after he and Harry were reunited at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral on April 17, where they reportedly "walked and talked" after the funeral.

"Happy birthday to Archie, who turns two today," Prince Charles wrote on Instagram alongside a black-and-white photo of himself, Prince Harry, and Archie at the child's baptism on July 6, 2019. According to the Daily Mail, the image generated quite a lot of buzz online. "You're all class, Charles, under very trying circumstances," one person wrote.

Although some applauded Charles for seemingly making an effort to reach out to his son and potentially mend their relationship, others called him out for sharing a birthday post to Archie after failing to publicly acknowledge the birthdays of his other grandchildren in recent weeks. "Wow, disappointing that there wasn't a dedicated post for Louis and Charlotte recently," one critic mentioned. "Ok he's your grandson but Charlotte and Louis are your grandchildren too. You should've posted for them too," someone else noted.

While there were mixed reactions to Prince Charles' post, the gesture seems to be an olive branch of sorts. And, after the turmoil the two experienced over the past couple of years, that's a good thing for the family.