Despite ongoing tensions between the highest echelons of the royal family, Prince Charles and Prince William took to social media to wish Prince Harry a happy 40th birthday.

On Sunday, September 15, the Duke of Sussex received surprise congratulations from his estranged father and brother via social media.

“Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!” the Royal Family's official Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts posted. The official X account of the Prince and Princess of Wales retweeted the King and Queen of England's original post and wrote: “Wishing the Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday!”

All posts were accompanied by a smiling photo of Prince Harry. The same post was also shared on the Royal Family's Instagram Stories, meaning that Prince Charles and Queen Camilla were all over social media.

The post came amidst the ongoing strife within the royal family since Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle left royal duties and moved to California.

While the birthday celebration could easily be interpreted as an olive branch extended to Prince Harry, it is worth noting that this public gesture was most likely just Prince Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate following royal protocol.

As the Express points out, “Before her death, the late queen had a rule that on milestone birthdays beginning with 0, she could celebrate her birthday on her official social media channels.”

Still, one royal expert told the magazine that the Duke of Sussex would be “delighted” after waking up to the royal blessing.

“The palace had a policy of only recognizing birthdays of active royals on social media. This represents a change, but it is a special day. Are tensions easing? Richard Fitzwilliams says. [If a settlement is achieved, it will almost certainly take a long time. 'Mutual trust needs to be restored. But the obvious first step is to cease all hostilities.”

In 2022, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly celebrated Princess Kate's 40th birthday via video call, despite ongoing tensions.

“As far as I know, they had a video call,” royal expert Christopher Andersen told Us Weekly at the time. 'But Harry and Meghan didn't try to post anything, as they did two years ago when Kate turned 38. Both Harry and Meghan showed their love for Kate publicly and wished her a happy birthday. This time they kept it private”

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Recently, Prince William and Prince Harry attended their uncle's funeral as a surprise, appearing in the same room for the first time since their father's coronation. The brothers' attendance, coupled with reports that Kate Middleton wants her husband to end the family feud and the celebration of his 40th birthday, could very well mark a turning of the monarchy's tide.