ROYALSPrince Harry Is 'Confident' He'll Be in a 'Better Place' With His Father King Charles Next Year
Prince Harry celebrated his 40th birthday in September.
Dec. 24 2024, Published 4:27 p.m. ET
Looking California casual in a T-shirt, khakis and blazer, Prince Harry smiled for the cameras at a benefit tennis tournament the weekend of his 40th birthday.
“I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40,” he told the BBC.
Prince Harry celebrated his 40th birthday with Meghan Markle and their two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
He’s come a long way over the past decade. The father of Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, said that “doing good in the world” has become his life’s mission.
He marked his Sunday, September 15, birthday with an intimate dinner with friends thrown by his wife, Meghan Markle. Harry also received some unexpected birthday greetings from his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William.
“Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duke of Sussex,” William’s official account posted online.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle settled down in California in 2020.
In his next decade, Harry wants to see his wife and children thrive, find meaningful work and mend his relationship with his father and brother.
“He’s very confident that he and his father will be in a better place in the coming year,” a friend said. “He and William will always have their issues, and Harry’s made mistakes, but he loves his brother dearly.”
Moving forward, Harry can’t help but feel like the hard part is over.
“It was very difficult to leave England, but Harry put his wife and family first,” the friend said, who notes that the couple are content living in California. “It’s made his relationship with Meghan so much stronger, and they’re still very much in love.”
Harry is also looking forward to the next stage of his own evolution. “The greatest lesson he’s learned is to follow your heart,” the source continued. “Harry has made some missteps, but he’s stayed true to trying to do the right thing.”
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King Charles and Princess Diana enjoyed a 'period of love' during the early years of their romance.
Four months after the death of Princess Diana, her ex-husband, Charles, wrote to a friend about the “unbearable emptiness” he felt. He said he “longed to wave a magic wand to transform the situation” and relieve his “bewilderment and confusion.”
Diana and Charles endured one of the 1990s most acrimonious divorces, but they both separately acknowledged that their 1981 marriage began in love.
“There was a period of great love between them,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward shared. “And she wanted the boys [Prince William and Prince Harry] to know that.”
The couple was first introduced by Diana’s sister Sarah McCorquodale in 1977 and began dating three years later.
“They just clicked,” McCorquodale said. “They have the same giggly sense of humor, and they both love ballet and opera and sport in all forms. It’s perfect, and they are both over the moon about it.”
Charles was smitten with Diana, a blue blood who was working as a nursery school assistant. “He saw all the things that the world saw — her beauty and her down-to-earth charm,” an insider revealed. Diana also found Charles very appealing. “She liked his outdoorsy side, and he didn’t seem stuffy at all. He was quite likable and fun to be around.”
King Charles felt 'unbearable emptiness' when Princess Diana died.
The couple wed in 1981 and celebrated William’s arrival the following year. They enjoyed the happiest times of their marriage during Diana’s pregnancy with Harry.
Speaking to biographer Andrew Morton, Diana recalled the summer of 1984 as “the closest we’ve ever, ever been and ever will be.” Those times would come to an end, but the memory left an imprint on both their hearts. “[Diana] really wanted people to know that she loved Charles and he loved her.”
