LONDON, Sept 12 (Askume) – Britain’s Prince Harry will celebrate his 40th birthday in California on Sunday thousands of miles from his royal roots, but there is no sign the distance will stop King Charles’s younger son from losing interest.
Between his Netflix documentaries, his charity work, his legal battles with the British tabloid media, and his disagreements with other royals, Harry is rarely out of the spotlight.
The prince will celebrate his 40th birthday in a private ceremony at his home in Montecito, Southern California, where he lives with his American wife Meghan, 43, and their two children.
The achievement sparked various stories and speculation in the British media about his future and whether he would actively continue to perform his royal duties.
In a lengthy article, The Sunday Times quoted unnamed friends as saying Harry was at a sad moment in his life, with one former adviser saying, “He spends his time only looking back.”
But sources close to the prince say Harry is excited about the future and has several projects in the works, including another Netflix special about the exclusive world of professional polo .
Later this month, he will appear at Travelist events in New York, where he aims to make the travel industry more sustainable, as well as the Diana Awards, a charity founded in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.
‘It’s still dangerous’
In a recent ITV documentary aired on BBC Four, Harry said fears for the safety of his family – who are taking legal action against the UK Government after police withdrew their protection – meant he would not return home, particularly because of the hostility of the tabloid media.
“It’s still dangerous, it just requires an actor, a person who reads it, and acts on whatever he reads, whether it’s knives or acid, whatever it is,” he said, “Those are the things I really care about.”
Critics blame her for the negativity, saying she chose to speak publicly on television and in her memoir “Backup” about her differences with her father, the king and her older brother Prince William, despite her royal background.
Supporters say he is under pressure because of his self-declared mission to hold newspaper owners accountable.
He has successfully sued the Mirror newspaper group over phone hacking and other allegations and is still involved in a campaign against Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper group as well as the Daily Mail and Daily Mail Online “publisher’s suit”.
Harry admitted that his battle with the media has escalated their family feud, and given the current circumstances, there seems to be no sign that the differences will be resolved.
“There are reports that Charles is keen to take some kind of exit on behalf of his son and daughter-in-law, but William is not quite ready for that,” said Anna Whitelock, professor of royal history at City University in London.
