Prince Harry’s 40th birthday shout-out from the royal family wasn’t something he sought as a “reward” for not dropping new bombshells on the Firm, sources tell The Post.
The royals made headlines on Sept. 15 when they wished the Duke of Sussex a happy birthday on social media for the first time in three years as their ongoing transatlantic tensions continue.
And while one report suggested the family posted the birthday message as a “reward” for the duke not recently divulging any potentially embarrassing stories about the Firm, a source tells The Post that did not guide the prince’s actions.
“He’s told his story, now he’s moving forward,” one insider revealed. “His priorities have shifted as he enters the next chapter of his life.”
The source added that Harry “recognizes the past and the past fuels what he does in the future — doing work that’s important to him and that’s important to the world.”
“His focus is on the future — dedicated to being a great father, a loving husband and driving the success of his many initiatives,” another source revealed.
If Harry’s shift in focus has helped thaw relations with his estranged family, it “could’ve been viewed as a welcomed effect,” an insider said.
Prince William and Prince Harry arrive for the unveiling of a statue of their late mother Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in London in 2021.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 3, 2020 — their final official engagement before they quit royal life in what was dubbed “Megxit.”ZUMAPRESS.com
But for the royal family, the birthday message may have been “quid pro quo.”
“It is a reward for not writing a new chapter, no new revelations in his book ‘Spare,’ and he’s not going to give any interviews to promote this book,” royal reporter Richard Eden said on the Sept. 19 episode of the Daily Mail’s “Palace Confidential” podcast, citing palace sources.
“So it’s their way of sort of, ‘thank you,’ and a quid pro quo.”
“A pat on the head,” host Jo Elvin added.
Relations between Prince Harry and the royal family have been strained since he and Markle left the UK for America.Archewell Foundation via Getty Images
Relations between Harry and the rest of his family have been strained in recent years.
After he and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, stepped back as senior working members of the royal family in 2020 — in a move dubbed Megxit — they went on to send shockwaves through the House of Windsor with a sensational Oprah interview, a Netflix docu-series following their exile and Harry’s 2023 tell-all memoir, “Spare.”
Yet in recent months, there has been mounting speculation that a minor rapprochement between the Sussexes and the Firm has been underway.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle on August 5, 2019.ZUMAPRESS.com
In addition to the birthday shout-outs posted on social media, The Post was told that Prince Harry was to receive calls on his birthday from his father, King Charles, and his sister-in-law, Princess Catherine.
His brother, Prince William, however, was not expected to ring the royal.
Though it remains unclear whether past Windsor wounds will heal, Harry’s staying busy with his philanthropic work.
The Duke is set to speak at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting in New York Sept. 23-24 and travel to the UK shortly after for the 2024 WellChild Awards on Sept. 30.
