As he turns 40 today, Prince Harry’s birthday plans – consisting of a party at home and a ‘lads getaway’ with his closest pals – are unsurprisingly low-key.
It highlights how much things have changed for the Duke of Sussex over the past decade – who celebrated his 30th birthday by partying with Prince William at Clarence House.
In 2014, Harry was single, having split from girlfriend Cressida Bonas months earlier and had just launched the first Invictus Games, his sports event for injured soldiers.
Ten years on, and he and wife Meghan Markle have stepped down as working members of the royal family for a very different life in Montecito, California, with their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The duke’s 40th follows a tumultuous period for the Royal Family, with explosive interviews, TV programmes and a book seemingly drifting Harry further away from his family.
When Harry turned 30 in 2014, Prince William threw his party-loving brother a birthday bash at Clarence House (pictured together that year)
Harry told the BBC this week he is ‘excited’ about turning 40, whereas he was ‘anxious’ about his 30th – a change in mindset that reflects his personal journey.
He said: ‘I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40. Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world.
‘Becoming a father of two incredibly kind and funny kids has given me a fresh perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus in all my work,’ the prince said in a statement released by his spokesperson.
‘Being a dad is one of life’s greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place. Bring on the next decade.’
Harry’s twenties and thirties were littered with partying and scandal including a now infamous and hedonistic trip to Sin City in 2012 and the time he dressed as a Nazi at a fancy dress party.
After settling down in California with his wife and children those days are behind him. He prefers riding his bike, walking the dog and wandering in his garden listening to the birds. And many of the mates from his past have been left behind too, especially after some sided with his brother in the rift that followed Megxit.
When Harry turned 30, Prince William threw his party-loving brother a birthday bash at Clarence House while King Charles and Queen Camilla were away in Scotland.
Present for the black-tie dinner were 30 of Harry’s childhood friends, who toasted him with cases of Highgrove champagne sent by his father – and the group were even reportedly serenaded by pop singer Ellie Goulding.
As he turns 40 today, Prince Harry’s birthday plans – consisting of a party at home with Meghan and a ‘lads getaway’ with his closest pals – are very different from a decade ago. Pictured with Meghan in July
Over the past decade, Harry’s relationship with the royal family has grown strained. Pictured with William in 2021
Harry launched the Invictus Games in 2014 and remains committed to the cause a decade on
In 2014, Harry was single, having split from girlfriend Cressida Bonas months earlier and had just launched the first Invictus Games
This year, the Duke is set to have a quiet party in Montecito followed by a ‘lads getaway’.
Harry will reportedly celebrate with a party in his Montecito home, joined by Meghan and their two children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
He will then enjoy a ‘weekend getaway’ in the mountains with his closest friends to celebrate the start of his fifth decade, according to HELLO! magazine.
One of the Duke’s old friends told HELLO!: ‘He has longer to work things out now. He and Meghan are not under any time pressure – it’s all on their own terms.’
In 2014, however, Harry had recently split up with his girlfriend Cressida Bonas, whom he had dated for two years.
It would be two more before he would meet Meghan in 2016 – which would be quickly followed by their 2018 wedding and 2020 move to California.
The year 2014 also marked a year since Harry had returned from his second tour of Afghanistan.
In his incendiary memoir Spare, Harry revealed that after his return he’d been ‘going through a bad moment’ and had been suffering ‘terrifying panic attacks’.
The official X, formerly Twitter account of the Royal Family, posted a birthday greeting to the Duke of Sussex this morning, as Harry prepares to celebrate his 40th birthday across the Pond
Sources close to Harry told the Daily Telegraph that he is settled in California with Meghan, 43, and their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three. Prince Harry and Meghan pictured with their children in December 2021
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Invictus Games in September 2023
On the eve of his 30th birthday, Harry closed the Invictus Games at Olympic Park in a speech, saying: ‘William and I will continue to draw attention to the challenges facing all those leaving the armed forces, wounded or not.’
He has remained committed to the Games over the past decade, even visiting the UK in May to attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark its ten year anniversary.
He previously returned to the UK in February to see his father, King Charles III, after he revealed his ongoing battle with an unspecified form of cancer.
Harry did not see his father last month while he was briefly in the UK for the memorial service for his uncle, Lord Fellowes, and they ‘are no longer speaking’, according to US celebrity magazine People.
Prince William also attended the service, but the brothers did not speak to each other.
The Duke of Sussex should expect to hear from his father early in the day on his 40th birthday, a royal insider told the Sunday Express, who claimed there is ‘still a lot of love’ in the family.
The source added: ‘They tend to use Skype when they communicate because they can see each other and it’s all set up by staff so it runs smoothly.’
But although Harry and William have typically celebrated major milestones together, a source told the Mirror that there ‘will be no transatlantic call between to the two on Harry’s big day.’
When Harry turned 30 in 2014, he was single having split up with Cressida Bonas (pictured together) months earlier.
Prince Harry attends The Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service at St Paul’s Cathedral on May 8 – however he did not meet with Prince Charles or William
Prince Harry and Meghan seen during their visit to Colombia on August 15
The insider added: ‘What a difference the years have brought. When Harry turned 30, it looked like nothing could come between him and his brother.
‘Together, they were set to become the new face of the royals, injecting a much needed modernisation of The Firm.
‘But now, William and Harry don’t even speak. Before, they always celebrated major milestones together but there will be no transatlantic call between to the two on Harry’s big day.’
King Charles and Kensington Palace have both wished Prince Harry a happy birthday on social media – in an apparent olive branch following uncertainty about whether the milestone would be acknowledged.
The rift deepened between the brothers following Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series and his memoir, Spare, last January, with the Prince of Wales reportedly suggesting there is ‘zero chance’ Harry could be welcomed back to the Firm.
In the book, Harry took aim at some members of the Royal Family. He accused William of assaulting him in a row over Meghan and claimed his brother and their father confronted him after Prince Philip‘s funeral ‘looking for a fight’.
Harry also alleged that William and Kate urged him to wear his infamous Nazi fancy dress outfit.
He cast his brother as his ‘arch-nemesis’; Queen Consort Camilla as a ‘wicked stepmother’ and Charles as an emotionally-stunted and ineffectual ‘old man’.
William and Harry have not spoken for months and currently have no contact.
It was revealed earlier this month that both William and Harry attended the funeral of their uncle Robert Fellowes, but witnesses said they didn’t see the brothers speak.
They reportedly sat apart at the back of St Mary’s Church in Snettisham where the service for Eton-educated Lord Fellowes took place.
Sources spoke of how the pair arrived ‘very discreetly’ and that you wouldn’t have known they were there.
According to The Mirror, friends of Harry have said he is determined to improve his relationship with his father, especially given his health problems.
They claimed the Duke would still look for an apology from his brother if he were to represent the family in any way.
And reports claimed last week that Prince Harry will not return to royal duties unless William apologises, but would be willing to ‘help out’ the Firm if asked by his father.
Sources close to The Duke of Sussex have suggested he is happy with his decision to quit his royal role, the Mirror reported.
But they claim he would be open to a temporary role within the Royal Family if asked to help out by his father.
It comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed last week that the Duke had turned away from his ‘Hollywood publicists’ and had resorted to texting former confidantes ‘from his old life’ on how to mastermind a return from exile in the US.
However, sources stressed Harry and Meghan, who have spent the past four years living in California with their two children, are not seeking a permanent return.
After celebrating his 40th at the couple’s £11million home in Montecito, Prince Harry will ‘enjoy a weekend getaway with a few of his closest mates’, according to a report by The Sun.
Meghan is expected to stay in California with Archie and Lilibet.
These days Harry spends a more low-key life in the luxurious neighbourhood of Montecito, a celebrity haunt where his neighbours include the likes of Oprah and Katy Perry.
Other stars who own properties in the area include Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Martin, Jennifer Aniston, Ariana Grande, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rob Lowe.
Harry is said to spend his time riding his bike followed by a security team in a Range Rover, or walking his dog alone on the beach, insiders have claimed.
Prince Harry, Prince William and King Charles photographed together in July 2018; while the King has wished his son a happy birthday this morning, it’s unclear whether Prince William will make a public gesture to his estranged sibling
Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021
Prince Harry and Prince William sit together on the steps of Highgrove House wearing army uniforms in July 1986
He is also said to spend his time at his desk, on Zoom calls with charities and his team, or chatting with Meghan about upcoming potential trips.
There is a long meditation in his diary each day – and often a workout with a personal trainer.
Neighbours and locals in Montecito have spoken to The Daily Telegraph about the couple’s life there – and admit they barely see them, especially Harry.
One declared: ‘They keep themselves to themselves. I haven’t seen Harry around much. Normally when you see him around here, he’s walking his Labrador on the beach or on his bicycle followed by his security in a Range Rover’.
Meghan, however, is said to have joined a local mahjong group, stops to speak to locals in the street or shops and has bonded with other celeb-locals including Ellen DeGeneres, who shares a love of chickens with the former Suits star.
The Sussexes do venture out together from time to time. They enjoy date nights together at the local steakhouse named Lucky’s or pop out for an Italian meal at Tre Lune where a margherita pizza is $24 and spaghetti and meatballs is $35.
The Sussexes have already completed two quasi-royal tours this year to Nigeria and Colombia, and are said to be planning at third trip.
The couple have been buoyed by the success of the two tours and are now planning a further overseas trip for some point later this year, according to HELLO!
Harry will reportedly celebrate with a party in his Montecito home (pictured), joined by Meghan and their two children Prince Archie , five, and Princess Lilibet, three
Harry will reportedly celebrate with a party in his Montecito home, joined by Meghan and their two children. Harry and Meghan are pictured at the ESPYs in July
Likely destinations are believed to include Lesotho and Botswana, where Harry’s charity Sentebale operates. The Duke last visited the countries in 2019.
Speaking about Harry’s foreign trips and charity work, an insider told Hello!: ‘That’s his world, that’s what he’s used to and that’s what he knows. He can still add value.’
The two brothers have barely spoken to each other since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the UK for the US and abandoned royal duties.
The rift was exacerbated by the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare in January last year that levelled accusations against his family.
Harry claimed that William, 42, branded Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’, and even accused him of pushing him into a dog bowl.
Since then, Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have embarked on a pair of pseudo-royal tours, visiting Nigeria in May and Colombia earlier this month.
Harry also reached out to William after his wife Kate Middleton’s shock cancer diagnosis earlier in the year.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were understood to have made contact with the Prince and Princess of Wales ‘privately’.
It was also claimed in the United States that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex only learnt about Kate’s condition at the same time the world heard the news.
Sources told the New York Post that the couple had ‘no idea’ about Kate’s illness.
Meghan and Harry share this desk. The Duke of Sussex is seen mucking around outside the window while working from home on his wife’s 40th birthday in 2021
Hours after the news, the couple released a short statement wishing the Princess of Wales and her family ‘health and healing’.
The couple said they hoped Kate and her family would be ‘able to do so privately and in peace’.
It comes after an exclusive poll for the Mail on Sunday revealed a third of Britons would support Prince Harry returning to Royal duties on a permanent basis.
This represents a significant increase over the past six months – and suggests that the Duke of Sussex, who is 40 today, has managed to turn the tide of public opinion.
While more than 60 per cent of the public are still opposed to or undecided about a comeback, the Prince has seen his backing grow from 25 per cent in March to 34 per cent this month, according to Ipsos.
It’s a rise of 36 per cent, indicating that Harry’s more conciliatory approach to the Royal Family this year is beginning to pay off as he looks to strengthen ties back in Britain.
