Queen Elizabeth Leads Birthday Tributes To Prince Harry

Sep 15, 2021 by apost team

There's no denying that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had a tremendous year, and we're only just in September! After leaving the royal family and moving to the United States last year, the couple has had one big event take place after another. 

This summer alone has been huge for the couple, with the birth of their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, on June 4 kicking things off. Named in honor of both her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and Harry's late mother Princess Diana, Lilibet's birth propelled the couple back into the press after a few months of laying low, following their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March. 

Then mere days after giving birth to their daughter, the Duchess of Sussex released her very first children's book titled "The Bench." The story began as a poem that Markle wrote to Harry one Father's Day before it was turned into a book with gorgeous illustrations by Christian Robinson. Released on June 8, it didn't take long for "The Bench" to become a #1 New York Times bestseller.

Following that, it was announced that Harry has a book deal of his own, with his first official memoir expected to be released at the end of 2022. Meanwhile, his television show with Winfrey, "The Me You Can't See," premiered this year as well.
It's no secret the Sussexes have been keeping themselves busy, and after celebrating Markle's 40th birthday on Aug. 4, it's now Harry's turn, with his 37th birthday today on Sep. 15. Although there's been no word on how the couple plans to celebrate, several members of the royal family have already taken to social media to congratulate the prince.

The Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were the first to send well-wishes for Prince Harry, who turns 37 today.

The Queen send a message through her official Twitter account: "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a happy birthday today!" The post was accompanied by several pictures of the adult prince, taken at public functions.

Prince William, 39, and his wife Kate Middleton were the next royals to chime in as they tweeted a picture of a beaming Harry along with the caption: "Happy Birthday Prince Harry!"

Prince Charles and Camilla also took to Twitter, publishing a post that stated: "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very Happy Birthday today!"

The post was accompanied by three touching photographs of the Prince Charles together with his youngest son, taken at different stages of his life. 

Prince Harry currently lives in the US, where he and his wife Meghan own a mansion in Montecito, California. Also living with them are their two kids, Archie and Lilibet.

The well-wishes arrive as Prince Harry has been warned by royal commentators and experts to be cautious on his birthday. Several royal followers cautioned the prince, as it was unclear whether or not he was planning to use his birthday to make a political statement.

One of these royal experts was Richard Fitzwilliams of the The Mirror, who suspects Harry could be planning to use his birthday to talk about an initiative linked to the situation in Afghanistan and the resulting refugee crisis. He warned the prince to watch what he says and to keep in mind political tensions that are steadily rising following the Taliban's return to power.

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The royal expert feels Prince Harry could follow his wife's lead and issue an announcement related to the charities he supports on his birthday.

Speaking to OK! Magazine, Fitzwilliams urged Harry to be cautious if he decides to approach this subject on the 15th.

"The Sussexes like to announce charity initiatives on their birthdays," he explained. "We saw it last year when Harry announced funding for CAMFED, a charity helping support African girls in education, so it's possible he will do something similar this year. Of course, you can never predict what Harry is going to say and do, but Harry has already put out a statement supporting military veterans in the wake of the Afghanistan withdrawal."

The royal expert also went into detail about why he expects Prince Harry to mention the Afghanistan situation:

"It's a big crisis and it would be a reasonable assumption that any birthday initiative might be linked to Afghanistan and the refugee crisis. But he would have to be careful not to say anything critical of President Biden."

As the former royal couple has taken to speaking out about US politics, Fitzwilliams also cautions them to be careful while they venture further in this direction:

"Harry and Meghan seem to see their future in the US and Harry will have to watch what he says about US domestic matters, especially as it's been speculated that Meghan is eyeing up a future in politics."

Of course, Harry could also choose to support his one of his many other charities, which include such notable worthy causes as the Children's HIV Association, Crisis, Myna Mahila Foundation, Scotty's Little Soldiers, StreetGames or HALO.

A happy birthday to Prince Harry! What do you think about the prince's charity work and recent political statements? Share your thoughts with us and pass this along to fellow royal fans!