It’s Queen Elizabeth’s birthday – Her Majesty is 95 today (April 21).
While 95 is a huge deal, it’s a celebration tinged with sorrow – it’s her first birthday without her husband in more than 70 years. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away just a little over a week ago – on April 9, at the age of 99.
The Royal Family’s official social media accounts shared some details about how U.K.’s monarch is spending her birthday.
“Today is The Queen’s 95th birthday,” the tweet began. “HM was born on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in London, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York.”
“This year The Queen remains at Windsor Castle during a period of Royal Mourning following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh,” the tweet continued.
She also released a rare personal statement to the public to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time.
“While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world,” she said in her statement. “My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”
However, it looks like one member of the Royal Family isn’t there to spend the Queen’s birthday with her – Prince Harry is now reportedly home in Montecito, California as of Tuesday (April 21) afternoon.
Last week, he flew to the U.K. to attend his grandfather’s funeral, which went down Saturday (April 17). Meghan, who’s pregnant with their second child, remained in the U.S. since she wasn’t cleared by her doctors to travel to England.
There were speculations whether Prince Harry would be extending his stay to spend time with his grandmother on her birthday, but it appears there’s been a change of plans.
According to The Daily Mail and Hello!, Prince Harry arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday (April 20) at around 1:30 PM, after taking a 10+ hour American Airlines flight from London. A car then drove him to their Montecito home, arriving there around 4 PM. He’ll reportedly be quarantining for 10 days, per the CDC’s recommendation for international travelers.
While he may not be spending the Queen’s special day with her, Harper’s Bazaar reports that he did make an effort to spend time with his grandmother while he was there. They reportedly met “privately on at least two occasions.” However, it’s not exactly clear where things stand between Prince Harry and the rest of the Royal Family RN – particularly with his brother, Prince William, and his dad, Prince Charles.
While Prince Harry and Prince William were spotted chatting after the funeral, according to Page Six, a one-on-one chat with his dad, Prince Charles, reportedly did not push through due to fears of a misunderstanding.
But there might be another chance coming soon. Harry is scheduled to fly back to the U.K. in July though – for the unveiling of his and Prince William’s mom Princess Diana’s memorial.
