Prince Harry Has Not Received Invite to Dad King Charles' 75th Birthday Party Despite Reports He Declined
The Duke of Sussex's spokesperson said it was "disappointing" that The Sunday Times "misreported" the story
Prince Harry's spokesperson is setting the record straight about his attendance at King Charles' upcoming birthday party.
The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that King Charles will celebrate his 75th birthday next week at Clarence House, but his younger son would "not making the trip from California," where he relocated in 2020 with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their family.
However, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tells PEOPLE: "In response to U.K. media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday. It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story." The statement was first reported by The Messenger.
The ongoing rift between Prince Harry, 39, and his family has deepened since the release of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Spare, early this year. However, the Duke of Sussex traveled to the U.K. in May to attend his father's coronation without his wife, who remained in California to celebrate their son's birthday, which fell on the same day.
Shortly after the crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Prince Harry headed to the airport to go home.
A close friend told PEOPLE ahead of the coronation that Harry and Meghan received an email about the royal event from King Charles' office — and not from Harry's father himself — and it became clear that the "sit-down" the prince sought to talk through their issues wasn't going to happen.
"They didn't hear from Charles. Harry wanted to hear from his father directly — it's always through somebody," the friend said.
For Prince Harry, his solo appearance at the coronation has to do with his desire to have, as he has stated, 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 said.
Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Katy Perry Concert Appearance in Las Vegas Had a Royal Connection
Colleen Harris, a former press secretary to the King and his sons, told PEOPLE: "I am delighted that Prince Harry was there. He would have personally regretted it if he wasn't there to support his father. Speaking as a mother, [I believe] it was the right thing . . . and the King [was] delighted."
However, Prince Harry has made other trips to the U.K. where he did not see his father or brother, Prince William.
Most recently, the Duke of Sussex traveled to London to attend the WellChild Awards in September, which also included a visit to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth's burial site in Windsor Castle on the first anniversary of her death. King Charles and Queen Camilla were in Scotland for the anniversary, while Prince William and Kate Middleton marked the occasion in Wales.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Sept. 2023Over the weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan, 42, traveled to Las Vegas to attend the final show of Katy Perry's Play residency.
The couple are neighbors with Perry and Orlando Bloom in Montecito, and Prince Harry previously revealed that he and the Pirates of the Caribbean actor stay in touch about paparazzi sightings.
"Just two days ago, Orlando Bloom sent me a message — because he's just down the road and we sort of keep in contact because of the paparazzi,” the Duke of Sussex said while appearing on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast in May 2021.
Not only did Perry attend King Charles' coronation ceremony, but she also performed at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle the following day.
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