This week marks the celebration of Prince William’s 40th birthday – just a fortnight after his grandmother the Queen marked her 96th over the Jubilee weekend.
And while the royals celebrated in spectacular style with days of tradition and a spectacular parade, it’s believed Prince William’s day will be a quieter affair at the Palace with wife Kate and their children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – as well as a few close friends.
But despite the happy family occasion, insiders have revealed that Kate, 40, has been left feeling “heartbroken” that William will be unable to celebrate his milestone birthday with his younger brother, Prince Harry.
And while Kate and William’s appearance at the Trooping The Colour parade was a huge success, with royal experts praising the Cambridge family as “relatable” and hailing them as the “modern royals”, a shadow was cast over them
as the nation watched the gulf between Harry, 37, and William widen.
The brothers, once two grief-stricken boys clinging to each other following the death of their mother Princess Diana in 1997, couldn’t have looked more distant as they refused to even acknowledge each other when Harry, 37, flew over with his wife Meghan Markle, 40, and their two children – Archie, three, and one-year-old Lilibet.
However, sources say that despite joining her husband in keeping a distance from Harry and Meghan, William’s birthday has marked a turning point for Kate, and she’s secretly reached out to her estranged brother-in-law.
On William’s 30th birthday in 2012, Kate had arranged for their friends and family to take a holiday in Wales, where William and Harry spent time boating in the sea and enjoying a dinner at the farmhouse Kate had rented for the occasion.
Now, our source says, “She thinks it’s incredibly sad that the brothers have so little to do with each other now. She’s heartbroken to see how things have turned out when they used to be so close.
“She’s quietly sent a message that it would mean so much to William if his little brother made some type of contact on his special day – a message would go a long way to break the ice and help build bridges without anyone else in the way.
“Kate’s a wonderful diplomat and an eternal optimist. It’s her firm belief that one day Harry will snap out of his trance and be his own man.
“If she can somehow get the boys to make peace – even temporarily – it would be the greatest birthday gift William could wish for.”
It’s been over two years since Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duty to build a new life – speaking out against The Firm during their interview with Oprah Winfrey the following March.
The Jubilee marked the third time the brothers have been reunited after Harry flew over to attend his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral last April, and attended an unveiling of a statue of Diana, during which he stood side by side with William last July.
But the source says that after creating a new life in his £11 million Californian mansion, Kate doesn’t recognise the Harry she knew and loved for so many years after first meeting him in his teens.
“She was extremely fond of Harry as a brother-in-law and bent over backwards to welcome Meghan into the family when they first got together. That’s why the criticism the Sussexes’ launched on the family and the snubs that followed were so upsetting and damaging.
“The sad truth is that Kate has struggled to recognise Harry as the same person she loved and respected all those years and the same goes for William, who desperately misses his brother.”
It was revealed last week how William, Kate and their children have chosen to relocate their family home from Kensington Palace to Windsor to be nearer to the Queen.
A source revealed, “There is a sense of the future accelerating towards him, which is tinged with profound sadness – though he would never say it publicly – because of the implication that his grandmother would no longer be around, the added pressures on his father and his family being under even more scrutiny.”
Meanwhile, Harry has been fully immersing himself back into his life Stateside, and was photographed competing in a polo match in Santa Barbara last week.
Looking relaxed, he was seen fist-pumping with his friend, music producer David Foster, and talking with his arm around his close friend Nacho Figueras’ wife, Delfina.
Back in the UK, Kate is said to be concerned over the pain the continuing rift is causing William, and the source reveals she is urging her husband to open up to the idea of a reconciliation with Harry.
“For all of Harry’s faults and mistakes, he’s still the same person deep down and she knows that William loves and misses him deeply.
“Kate’s quietly urging Harry to find it in his heart to try to patch things up one-on-one. It’s going to take time, but it would go such a long way if Harry would reach out on William’s milestone birthday.”