The Sunday Times made claims over the weekend that Prince Harry had turned down the King’s olive branch, which would have included him - and possibly his wife Meghan Markle - reuniting with his family for a small celebration at Clarence House on November 14.
However, the Sussexes’ representative released a statement, making a point of highlighting that the couple were actually left off of the guest list entirely.
“In response to UK media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to his majesty’s upcoming birthday,” Ashley Hansen told the New York Post.
“It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story.”
The pair’s reported non-existent invitation to such an important family gathering is a stark contrast to five years ago when the Sussexes delayed their honeymoon to be at Charles’ 70th birthday party.
Prince Charles poses for an official portrait to mark his 70th birthday in the gardens of Clarence House, with his family. Photo / AP
Just under 18 months after that milestone moment, Harry and Meghan released their sensational statement announcing their exit from royal life and duties with the hopes of moving to Canada.
Later on, the pair settled permanently in the popular celebrity suburb of Montecito, California, and sat down with Oprah Winfrey for their explosive tell-all interview, which saw them air all their dirty laundry within the royal family publicly.
What came next was a Netflix docuseries, which threw even more hurtful accusations at their relatives, and Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare in January.
What’s come to fruition in the aftermath of the Sussexes’ public dispute is radio silence from Harry’s brother Prince William - and while Charles feels “conciliatory” and sad about the estrangement between him and his son, tensions are still high between the two.
“When he gets to the end of another successful work day and thinks of his family, there will always be a twinge in his heart about a problem he hasn’t been able to solve yet,” a pal of the monarch told The Times recently.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry and Prince William attend the service to celebrate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales at the Guards Chapel on August 31, 2007 in London, England. Photo / AP
“But he will be taking the long-term view. The current act is a challenging one. There are issues that aren’t resolved and there won’t be a rapprochement any time soon.
“There is the sense of a cooling-off period from the family that is under way after the aftershocks of the book and interviews. But that doesn’t change the King’s love for his son. He’ll never not invite his son to a family gathering, because that’s not who he is.”
The reported snub comes after rumours that Charles invited Harry to visit him in Balmoral during a quick trip to the UK in September.
It was also said that, at the time, Harry put in a formal request to the King’s office for royal accommodation and security during his one-night stopover in London.
