Still on a high from the inaugural Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex celebrated his 30th birthday in London with his brother, Prince William, and a bunch of school friends and chums.

It was 2014, and Harry partied in a ballroom at Clarence House that had been decked out as a ski-themed nightclub, dining on beef Wellington, fish pie and his favourite dessert, Eton mess.

It was a black-tie family affair with ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas on the guest list. His father, now the King, sent cases of champagne and claret to get the party started.

The prince’s 40th birthday on September 15 will be celebrated across the Atlantic Ocean, 8700 kilometres and 10 years away from that life.

Harry will celebrate with his wife of six years, Meghan Markle, 43, their children Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, and a tight group of new friends in their $20 million home in Montecito.

Afterwards, Harry plans to head out on a getaway on his own with some of his closest friends, according to an exclusive report in Hello!

Presents?

While he will reportedly inherit $16 million from a trust fund the late Queen Mother established, he revealed ahead of the big day what he considered to be his greatest gift.

“The best gift I’ve ever been given is, without doubt, my kids,” Harry told People magazine last week.

“I enjoy watching them grow every single day and love being their dad.”

Harry and Meghan at the opening of a bookshop in Montecito last week. Photo: X

‘At a crossroads’

Harry and Meghan moved to California in 2020 after they quit royal duties.

They set up the Archewell Foundation, gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey, and cut a $150 million Netflix deal.

Harry published his memoir Spare last year, revealing family secrets and punch-ups. According to The Times, it is the fastest-selling non-fiction book in history. 

Further tensions between the royal brothers can be traced to early in Harry’s relationship with Meghan, when she fell out with William’s wife Kate ahead of the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding.

Harry’s relationship with his father is strained to breaking point, and he is no longer invited to public events or private family celebrations, including summer holidays and Christmas at Sandringham.

“He gets ‘unavailable right now’,” a friend of the duke’s tells People of the King.

“His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”

Kate, William, Harry and Meghan at Windsor Castle after the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022. Photo: Getty

There’s also his ongoing battles with the British press, and frustration about security for his family on visits home.

“Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats,” a friend previously told People.

“He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm.”

The Times‘ royal editor Roya Nikkhah said those closest to the prince “say he is at a crossroads”.

“Some who have known him since his army days – the time in his life that seemed to give him his strongest sense of self, and inspired him to launch the Invictus Games for injured veterans in 2014 – think he is grappling with a key unanswered question,” she writes.

That question, according to one former aide, is: “What is the purpose of Prince Harry, and what is Prince Harry’s purpose?

“He loved the army and was very good at his job. The work with Invictus is great and fatherhood was the role he most wanted, so perhaps those are enough for him.

“But everything else is a bit woolly. I always thought he wanted more from life. I can’t help but think he must be wondering, ‘Where do I go from here?” the source told Nikkhah.

Another said: “All he does is spend time looking back. If only he could wrench his neck around and look forwards.”

Prince Harry with Invictus Games athletes. Photo: IGF

The future

Four years after walking away from official royal duties, Harry’s recent work offers clues about where he is headed.

His passion for Invictus continues, as does his quasi-royal travel. This year, he and Meghan have been to Nigeria and Colombia.

In July, there was controversy when he received a sports award for his Invictus Games work.

“I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman award recipient, but rather a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation, and the thousands of veterans and service personnel from over 20 nations who have made the Invictus games a reality,” he said in his acceptance speech.

Still to come are more Netflix projects, including Polo – a documentary centred on one of Harry’s greatest passions.

More immediately, the prince will be in New York City later this month for the United Nation’s General Assembly climate and high-level weeks.

His visit almost coincides with a trip by the Prince of Wales. However, speculation the estranged brothers might find time to meet was quickly scotched.

Another source, again in People, has said that Harry’s attempts to connect with his brother are ignored. The rift is “very bad”, a royal insider said – although not “irreparable”.

Another close friend tells Nikkhah “he made his decision [to leave] for his family – that was the right choice and he has no regrets”.

“One of the primary reasons for them leaving the UK was the institutional and media issues they felt they faced, so for that they must feel vindicated.

“But did he get what he wanted? No.

“The perfect scenario was to get what they originally asked for – ‘we’d like to move and still be semi-royals’. So they’re finding another way of doing it.”