Prince William and Kate Middleton pays touching tribute to Prince Harry on his 40th birthday

Prince Harry has turned 40, and the royal family is paying tribute to the Duke of Sussex on his milestone birthday.

Princess Kate Middleton and Prince William wished Prince Harry a Happy Birthday in a rare Instagram Story and a post on X celebrating the special occasion.

“Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex,” the Prince and Princess of Wales wrote in their sweet message.

Kate and William also shared King Charles and Queen Camilla‘s birthday message, which included a photo of the Duke of Sussex smiling.

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Senior members of the royal family have rarely shared public birthday posts for non-working royals. Prince Harry’s 40th appears to be the exception, which is likely because the Duke of Sussex is celebrating such a momentous birthday.

In May 2024, royal correspondent Danielle Stacey discussed the royal family’s policy for publicly acknowledging family member’s birthdays in a HELLO! article.

“In recent years and certainly since King Charles III's reign began in September 2022, we have only seen public messages from the royal family's social media accounts for working members of the royal family, such as the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal," Stacey told HELLO!

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, and no longer carry out royal duties,” Stacey noted. “Similarly, the palace doesn't typically share messages on the likes of Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall's birthdays nor their children's special days."

Us Weekly previously reported Prince Harry’s plans to host a birthday celebration at the $14 million Montecito home he shares with Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

The Duke of Sussex will reportedly embark on a mountain getaway with a group of close friends following his birthday party.

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A source told Us for an August 2024 cover story that Prince Harry enjoys living in California where he "has a small [group] of close friends."

“The way he views it, his wife and kids are his priority," the source explained.

The cover story also revealed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s plans now that they’ve stepped down from their senior roles within the royal family.

"After Spare, [Harry and Meghan] realized, ‘OK, we're ready to move on,” a family friend of the Sussexes told Us. “We want to focus on our future.'” They continued, "‘We can have meaning and importance separate from the lives we had previously.'"

This story was originally published September 15, 2024, 7:46 AM.

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