‘Being diplomatic’: Why this royal expert says the Royal Family post to Prince Harry shows they’re nowhere near close to reconciliation

The British monarch marked the milestone with a brief message published to the royal family’s official accounts about 8am (local time) on Sunday. 

“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” the post read, alongside a pink birthday cake emoji.

The same message was also posted by Prince Harry’s older brother, Prince William, and his wife, Princess Catherine, on their respective social media account. 

King Charles’ move to publicly mark his son’s birthday for the first time in three years sparked hope a royal reconciliation between the estranged family members could be on the cards.

But royal expert Tom Bower swiftly shut down the suggestion, claiming the messages were simply about maintaining appearances. 

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Bower argued the palace was seeking to avoid criticism rather than heal the fractured relationship.

“Being diplomatic costs them nothing and avoids criticism. The King understandably has congratulated his son but there’s no evidence of defrosting their relationship,” Mr Bower said.

He also pointed out that Harry did not meet with his father while back in the UK two weeks ago to attend the funeral of his uncle Robert Fellowes.

“Nothing has changed,” Mr 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.”

However, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams offered a different perspective, suggesting the short birthday message could be seen as an olive branch, potentially paving the way for future private discussions.

“What hopefully might subsequently happen are private approaches which we don’t hear about and which the Sussexes don’t leak to the media. Then, some real progress in repairing relations can be made,”  Mr Fitzwilliams told MailOnline.

In a similar tone, writer and broadcaster Esther Krakue commented in August about Harry’s decision not to target his family in the upcoming re-release of his autobiography, a move seen by some as a positive step.

“The paperback copy is being released on October 22, which coincides with King Charles’ visit to Samoa,” Ms Krakue said.

“It is interesting Prince Harry is choosing not to promote this version of his book.”

Many fans had commended the royal family’s decision to acknowledge the occasion and joined in on wishing the Duke a happy birthday.

“The Royals have class and it’s a milestone birthday that’s it. Nothing else should be interpreted into that,” one person wrote on X.

“Now this is extremely surprising. Fair play, William… fair play,” said another.

An eagle-eyed fan noted another interesting detail – Harry’s wife Meghan Markle had been cropped out of the shot.

While the Duke of Sussex continues to face family drama, his birthday milestone comes with a financial windfall. 

According to The Telegraph, Prince Harry’s late great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, set up a trust fund in 1994, estimated at £19 million, for her great-grandchildren. 

At the time, reports suggested William and Harry would inherit about £14 million from her estate, with Harry receiving the larger share, given that William is set to benefit financially when he eventually becomes King.

It is understood the two brothers received £6 million between them at 21, with a further £8 million paid out when they each turned 40.