The Duke of Sussex received well-wishes from King Charles III and Prince William on his 40th birthday
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Prince Harry received a special surprise from his family on his milestone birthday, but it’s far from an olive branch, several royal experts claimed to Fox News Digital.
On Sunday, the Duke of Sussex’s 40th birthday was acknowledged by his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, on social media. It marked the first time the royal family has publicly acknowledged Harry’s birthday since 2021, People magazine reported.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, claimed to Fox News Digital that the celebratory posts aren’t signs that peace talks are imminent.
PRINCE HARRY GETS 40TH BIRTHDAY WELL WISHES FROM ESTRANGED PRINCE WILLIAM AND KING CHARLES
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visit Delia Zapata Art Center in Bogotá, Colombia on August 15, 2024. The Duke of Sussex turned 40 on Sunday. (Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"Harry and Meghan are certainly not welcome back as a team," Schofield claimed. "I would argue they are not welcome back at all if Prince William has anything to say about it… But Harry could potentially get his foot in the door through his father."
"[But] it is not something the royal family is longing for," Schofield claimed.
Sources previously told People magazine that Harry’s calls and letters to his father, 75, go unanswered. His attempts to contact William, 42, via texts and calls are "similarly ignored." A palace insider claimed that the rift with William is "very bad" but not "irreparable."
"Harry and Meghan are certainly not welcome back as a team. I would argue they are not welcome back at all if Prince William has anything to say about it… But Harry could potentially get his foot in the door through his father."
— Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast
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"The royal family will continue to keep Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a distance," Schofield claimed. "The royal family is in a delicate position, health-wise, and do not trust Harry and Meghan."
"I don’t believe Harry and Meghan will be welcomed back as working members of the royal family on a part-time or full-time basis," Schofield continued.
"We know they did want a half-in, half-out life, and Queen Elizabeth II denied them that opportunity. Now you’ve seen them create it for themselves with their faux royal tours. They want the royal family to know that they don’t need them or their permission when they conduct trips like to Colombia."
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Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex! https://t.co/ZKJbYDmV6L
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 15, 2024
Schofield claimed that she wasn’t surprised by the royal family’s well wishes, as they’ve learned from the past.
"After Megxit and Prince Andrew’s scandal, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace revised their social media protocol," Schofield explained. "We were only made privy to this after the first year that the family didn’t wish Harry and Meghan a happy birthday online, and it was deemed a ‘snub.’"
"To avoid the drama of bringing up the chaos that surrounds some of the more well-known non-working royals, the new protocol dictates that the royal family will acknowledge the birthdays of non-working royals only on milestone birthdays," she continued. "Translation — birthdays that end in 0. This saves the family from having to re-live the Megxit and Jeffrey Epstein headlines at the same time every year."
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are seen at the Unidad Recreativa El Vallado on August 18, 2024, in Cali, Colombia. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated the prince's birthday in California. (Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images)
The well-wishes came days after The Hollywood Reporter published an explosive story on Friday. The story aimed to examine the reported high turnover among the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s staff. An unnamed source described the duchess as a "dictator in high heels" who has reduced "grown men to tears."
A request for comment was sent to a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It is understood that Josh Kettler, the couple’s former chief of staff who left the position after three months in August, was hired on a trial basis. The decision to part ways was described as "mutual," with both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit.
Schofield claimed to Fox News Digital that the royals are prioritizing the king and Princess of Wales, as opposed to the latest headlines surrounding the Sussexes. Earlier this month, Kate Middleton announced she was "cancer free" following an "incredibly tough" battle. The king was diagnosed with cancer in February.
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This photo provided by Kensington Palace on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, shows Kate, Princess of Wales and Prince William with their children Prince George, right, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, left. (Will Warr/Kensington Palace via AP)
"The core royal family are still very much focused on the health of the king and Princess of Wales," said Schofield. "We are hearing positive news from both Catherine and the king, but there is still concern that things could take a turn for the worse and Prince William’s family is thrust into much bigger responsibilities."
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner claimed to Fox News Digital that the Sussexes have their own challenges ahead.
"The problem with Harry and Meghan right now is they do not know who they can trust," he claimed. "Being difficult may very well be [them] protecting their brand and personal rights."
On Friday, days before Prince Harry's birthday, Meghan Markle was the subject of a shocking story published by The Hollywood Reporter. (Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images)
"Hopefully, the royal family privately celebrated Harry’s birthday. I say privately because, in my estimation, putting out messages on social media was just another tiring and boring PR move trying to show they are not to blame for the couple leaving Britain. In reality, they were."
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"I don’t believe Harry and Meghan are without fault either," Pelham Turner continued. "But in my estimation, the royal family needs to grow and realize a lot of the world is laughing at all of these antics. They must never forget it is the blood, sweat and tears of the British population who pay for them. We expect a sensible and united royal family."
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital that the Prince and Princess of Wales "are taking the high road."
Royal experts previously told Fox News Digital that Prince William (left) and Prince Harry (right) aren't on speaking terms. (Getty Images)
"Their social media posts, while constrained and unemotional, were not surprising at all," said Fordwich. "They were following the convention established during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Working royals receive annual birthday greetings. However, non-working royals, such as Harry and Meghan, receive such only acknowledging their major milestone birthdays."
"Purportedly, Harry and Charles did speak by phone," Fordwich claimed. "They spoke on Charles’ birthday [in November]."
But these days, Harry gets the "unavailable right now" message, a friend of his claimed to People.
A friend of Prince Harry's claimed to People magazine that King Charles III had been ignoring his messages. However, royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that the king spoke to Harry on his birthday. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
"His calls go unanswered," claimed the pal. "He has tried to reach out about the king’s health, but those calls go unanswered too."
But on his birthday weekend, the prince focused on his life in California.
On Saturday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a special appearance at the George Zajfen Tennis Tournament in Los Angeles. People magazine noted the event benefited the Alliance for Children's Rights in honor of Kelly McKee Zajfen's late son.
PRINCE HARRY SAYS HE'S ‘EXCITED’ ABOUT TURNING 40: ‘COMMITTED TO MAKING THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE'
Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the Dogpatch startup hub in Dublin on the final day of their trip to Ireland on July 11, 2018, in Dublin, Ireland. This was the photo used by Buckingham Palace to wish Harry a happy birthday. (Jimmy Rainford - Pool/Getty Images)
While it was claimed that Meghan, 43, was cropped out of a photo used by the royals to wish Harry a happy birthday, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed to The Independent that their photo wasn’t altered.
The image was one of two versions taken by photographer Jimmy Rainford for Getty Images. The snapshot was taken during the couple’s Dublin trip in 2018, just after their royal wedding.
Harry has had a strained relationship with his family and has seen his father infrequently since he and his wife quit royal duties in 2020. At the time, the couple said the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British press were what prompted them to step back as senior royals.
Meghan Markle is seen here in a photo taken by Jimmy Rainford during the couple's trip to Dublin in 2018. (Jimmy Rainford - Pool/Getty Images)
The father of two has since detailed his rocky relationship with his family in TV interviews, a documentary and his memoir, "Spare."
Several royal experts previously claimed to Fox News Digital that Harry and William haven't been on speaking terms since his royal exit. In "Spare," Harry details their sibling rivalry.
In the book, Harry alleged that during an argument in 2019, William called his wife "difficult" and "rude" and then grabbed him by the collar and knocked him down. Harry suffered cuts and bruises from landing on a dog bowl. Harry claimed Charles implored the brothers to make up. Following the funeral of Charles’ father, Prince Philip, in 2021, the king pleaded, "Please, boys, don’t make my final years a misery."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in Montecito with their son Prince Archie and their daughter Princess Lilibet. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
When Harry returned to London in May to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, his spokesperson issued a statement, implying that the king was too busy to meet with his son.
People magazine reported that while the brothers recently attended the service for Fellowes at St. Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, they sat separately with different groups of their maternal cousins.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in Montecito with their two young children.
Fox News Digital's Caroline Thayer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.
