Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Had 'No Contact' From Palace About King Charles' Birthday Party

A report claims that Buckingham Palace did not extend an invitation to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for King Charles III's 75th birthday party at Clarence House, contradicting earlier reports that Harry declined the invitation.

A friend of the Sussexes suggested the possibility of the Palace leaking the story to divert attention from a recent royal visit to Kenya, where King Charles faced calls to apologize for colonial history.

According to the Daily Mail, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's spokesperson claims that Buckingham Palace has not extended an invitation to King Charles' 75th birthday bash.

While The Sunday Times previously reported that Prince Harry declined an invitation and would remain in California, the Sussexes' spokesperson contradicted this, stating, "There has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty's upcoming birthday. It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story."

A source also informed the outlet that the Sussexes did not receive invitations to attend the upcoming party for King Charles in London next week. 

"They had not received any invitation and were unaware of any celebrations until the stories came out. 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," the insider said.

A friend close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has suggested that Buckingham Palace might have deliberately leaked the "snubbing" story to divert attention from the recent royal visit to Kenya, where King Charles faced calls to apologize for Britain's colonial history.

The friend mentioned, "The story is being positioned in a way to make it look like the Duke is snubbing his father, which he is not."

They added that, under normal circumstances, the Sussexes would have been part of plans for significant UK events despite their growing separation from the rest of the royal family.

"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 friend emphasized.

According to a source cited by The Telegraph, "Communication between King Charles and Prince Harry remains pretty poor, they don't speak much, if at all."

One potential explanation for this lack of communication is King Charles's reported disappointment in how Harry portrayed Queen Camilla in his memoir, "Spare."

Harry's description of Camilla as "dangerous" and a "villain" who left "bodies in the street" did not sit well with his father. Additionally, Harry accused Charles and Camilla of "planting stories" about Prince William and his family.

In an interview with "Good Morning America," Harry emphasized his love for every family member, stating: "We haven't spoken for a long time. I love every member of my family, despite the differences."

He added: "So when I see her, we're perfectly pleasant with each other. She's my stepmother. I don't look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution, and done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake."

Despite the ongoing family tension, Prince Harry traveled alone to the UK for his father's coronation in May, leaving Meghan in California to celebrate their son's birthday on the same day.

However, a close friend told People magazinethat the Sussexes received an email about the royal event from King Charles' office and not directly from the monarch himself.

The friend said that this signaled that Harry's hope for a direct conversation with his father wasn't going to occur. "They didn't hear from Charles. Harry wanted to hear from his father directly — it's always through somebody," the friend said at the time.

They noted that Prince Harry's decision to attend the coronation alone was motivated by his desire for a "family, not an institution." This is about a son showing up for his father rather than the optics of the institution," the close friend added.

Amid a strained relationship with the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan were recently spotted at singer Katy Perry's Las Vegas residency, where they were photographed having a good time.