Prince William & Kate Middleton Reportedly Missed Prince Harry’s Virtual Birthday Party: ‘It Was Awkward’
Sources are claiming that Prince William and Kate Middleton were noticeably absent from a virtual birthday party hosted by Prince Charles in honor of Prince Harry’s 36th birthday. The reports continue to add to the rumors of a rift between the once-close brothers.
According to The Mirror, the prince’s father had organized a Zoom call that included the Sussexes and their son, Archie. While Queen Elizabeth and Camilla Parker-Bowles were present for the festivities, the Cambridges were not.
“William sent his birthday best wishes. There was some excuse made about why he wasn’t there,” an insider explained.
One possible excuse could have been work; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent the day in London to visit both a job fair as well as a bagel shop.
Despite the fact that William and Kate were not on the call, sources have said that the Duke of Sussex still had a nice time talking with his father, step-mother, and grandmother.
“It was very pleasant. Harry told the family how much he missed them. Meghan baked a cake and Harry blew out candles. Archie made them laugh when he also blew them out,” the insider added.
That said, the Cambridge’s absence was nevertheless felt.
“It was a bit awkward that William and Kate weren’t there,” the source concluded.
Though the Cambridges may have missed the official Zoom party, they did privately contact Prince Harry, per Entertainment Tonight.
“The brothers spoke on Harry’s birthday… It’s no secret that it’s been a rocky path between the two brothers,” explained royal reporter Katie Nicholl.
However, Nicholl added that the distance has been “good” for the pair’s relationship. Though she explained that it would probably be a while before the brothers will enjoy a “cozy Christmas together,” she said that the two are “better than they were” a few months ago.
Reports of tension between the princes have centered around the Duke of Cambridge’s suggestion at the start of Harry and Meghan’s relationship that the couple take it slow; Prince Harry reportedly saw this as a criticism of his then-girlfriend.
In addition, a number of headlines have recently suggested that the future king was “livid” at Prince Harry for signing a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, as Cosmopolitan reported. The streaming giant is set to release a film on the late Princess Diana that reportedly shows the royal in less than flattering scenarios, in addition to producing the monarchy-centric series, The Crown.
As a result of the bad blood, royal watchers wondered if there was a message behind the decision for the prince’s family to exclude the Duchess of Sussex from their birthday wishes on social media, as was previously covered by The Inquisitr.
