Prince Harry will call his father King Charles to wish him a happy 75th birthday Tuesday, according to “well-placed sources” cited by the BBC.
The BBC reports that Harry “will be putting in a birthday phone call to his father.”
Officials at the palace and at Harry’s office have been contacted for comment by The Daily Beast.
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A phone call might go some way to soothing tensions between Harry and the palace after Harry’s team reacted angrily to deny a report in the British Sunday Times saying Harry had been invited to a small family party to celebrate Charles’ birthday Tuesday but had refused the offer.
The Sunday Times reported that a friend of Charles had told them: “He’ll never not invite his son to a family gathering, because that’s not who he is.”
However, in an unusual response, an official spokesperson for Harry and Meghan clapped back, telling the Daily Mail: “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 Mail added further context from a source whom it described as being “close to the Sussexes” who reportedly said: “They had not received any invitation and were unaware of any celebrations until the stories came out. I’m sure the duke will find a way to reach out privately to wish His Majesty a happy birthday like he has always done.”
Over the weekend, a report by Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English quoted a source as saying there is “barely any level of communication” between Charles and Harry and said there was “undeniable anger” at Harry because his father believed his behavior had upset the late Queen Elizabeth II in her final years.
While the possibility of a phone call might be seen as a gesture of goodwill, Harry could yet turn out to be unhappy at it being reported by the BBC. Harry has previously complained, most notably in his memoir Spare, that his father’s office is in the habit of disseminating private information about him to journalists.
Although there will be gun salutes fired in London, Charles is avoiding a lavish celebration of his 75th birthday, instead making it a normal working day and attending the official launch of a new anti-food waste initiative called the Coronation Food Project.
In an interview with Big Issue magazine, Charles said: “Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste.”
Fellow 75-year-olds nominated by their peers were invited to a party Monday at his private house, Highgrove, in Gloucestershire.
