King Charles will celebrate his 75th birthday later this month and will be throwing a party to mark the milestone birthday.
However, his youngest son Prince Harry has reportedly turned down an invite to attend and will not be flying from California to mark the occassion with his family.
The King’s former royal butler Grant Harrold has said that Harry’s decision not to come is a huge shame and noted how close the father and son used to be.
He added that Charles will be “missing” Harry on his birthday, adding that the Duke of Sussex “should reach out” with a “birthday card or even a phone call” as it’s “the right thing to do”.
It comes as Harry remains effectively frozen out from the Royal Family, having little contact with them following his sensational Netflix series and the publication of his memoir Spare, which featured a spate of attacks on the Firm.
Speaking with Spin Genie, Mr Harrold commented on the King’s upcoming birthday celebrations and said: “I absolutely would expect Harry to send something to Charles on his birthday. It’s the right thing for him to do.
“Whether it is just a birthday card, a nice gift – or even a phone call, I do think Harry will be making the effort to reach out on his father’s birthday.
“I’d like to think that after everything that has happened, he would do the right thing and make it known he’s thinking of him on his special day.
“Charles will be missing him deep down. It doesn’t make sense for Harry not to do that. They were so close and it was lovely to see their relationship back then. Even though they may not be as close as they were, I believe one day they can get back to a good place.”
Mr Harrold, who worked for Charles and Camilla when they were still Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall between 2005 and 2011, added that for the Royal Family birthdays aren’t a cause for huge celebrations.
He said: “Birthdays aren’t a massive thing to be celebrated for the Royals. He will be happy to be spending it with his family, but it’s not a special occasion.
“He will still be working. If he does have an engagement on the day, they will end up having a party the following weekend.”
