Prince Harry’s Spokesperson Issues Rare Response to Viral Report About King Charles’s Birthday

Today, a royal spokesperson released a statement debunking the gossip about Prince Harry and King Charles. According to the rep, Prince Harry didn’t deny an invitation to the monarch’s birthday because he was never invited.

“In response to U.K. media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday,” they said (according to E! News). “It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story.”

The original report came out earlier this week, claiming the Duke of Sussex would not attend his father’s birthday party at Clarence House on November 14.

The report didn’t seem to be a huge surprise, since their father-son relationship has been strained ever since the release of Prince Harry's Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, and his tell-all memoir, Spare. (Oh, and that Oprah interview.)

At the time, a source told the mag that Prince Harry’s decision to skip his dad’s birthday would have a lasting impact on the royal family. “The family has firmly shut the door on them for the time being, because of the documentary and the book,” they said. “Before those, there was always the hope that some things might be mended. The king will be faster to forgive than the family because Harry is his son, but the door is still more shut than ajar at the moment.”

We initially imagined Prince Harry either felt bad leaving his wife with their two children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2, or that perhaps it was a financial decision to skip the celebration. But now we know there’s more to the story: He simply wasn’t invited.

Regardless, we really hope Prince Harry makes it across the pond sooner rather than later.

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