If Prince Harry and King Charles are ever going to put their royal feud behind them, it sounds like it'll have to be after the monarch rings in another year of life. Amid rumors that Harry declined to attend Charles' upcoming 75th birthday bash, the Duke of Sussex is now saying that he never received an invitation — or any other type of contact — from the palace about the party. But at this point, it's not clear if that's because his invite is still in the mail – or if Harry's been left off the guest list on purpose.
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The rumors about the party began earlier this week.
With King Charles set to turn 75 on November 14, there's been a bit of speculation that he's going to go big — after all, it is a milestone birthday. But after earlier reports from the Sunday Times claimed that Harry had RSVP-ed no to the invite, it looked like he'd be celebrating without his youngest son in attendance.
Even though it doesn't seem as if Harry will be there, it may not be for the reason many people thought.
Now, Harry is setting the record straight.
Following the reports from the Sunday Times, Harry and Meghan's representative issued a statement to the Daily Mail refuting the rumors.
"There has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty's upcoming birthday. It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story," the statement read.
A royal insider claims that a party *has* been planned, though.
Apparently, there will be a party in London next week, but Harry didn't know it was happening until headlines came out claiming that he'd refused to attend.
"They had not received any invitation and were unaware of any celebrations until the stories came out," the source told the Daily Mail. "I'm sure the Duke will find a way to reach out privately to wish His Majesty a happy birthday like he has always done."
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If Harry isn't attending, however, it shouldn't be seen as a 'snub.'
"The story in the Times as well as subsequent stories have been positioned in a way to make it look like the Duke is snubbing his father, which he is not," the insider said.
Instead, one source told the news outlet that they believe the story about Harry rejecting the invite may have even been planted by the palace to distract from Charles' recent trip to Kenya, which wasn't exactly a resounding success. Some journalists who covered the trip say they felt "degraded" during the visit, according to Newsweek — not exactly the positive headlines the monarchy was likely hoping for.
We may not see Harry back in the UK with his family for a while.
With the coronation and all its related events behind him, it doesn't seem as if Harry will feel obligated to participate in any royal family business that would take him across the pond (and away from his two young children) anytime soon.
Maybe this time apart will be good for Harry and the rest of the royals – or maybe it will just end up driving them further apart.
