Prince William turns 39, Prince Harry to return to UK for Princess Diana memorial ‘in next 24 hours’

The royal family have paid tribute to Prince William on his 39th birthday as Prince Harry heads to Britain “in the next 24 hours” for an awkward reunion with his brother.

Prince Charles has paid tribute to his son, Prince William, on the future king’s 39th birthday.

The Duke of Cambridge turned 39 on Monday local time – just a day after celebrating Father’s Day with his wife Kate Middleton and their three children: Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3.

Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, took to Instagram to share two candid photos in honour of his eldest son’s birthday.

“Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday today!” the 72-year-old captioned the photos on the official Clarence House page, reports Fox News.

The post features a black-and-white shot of the Prince of Wales holding a then-baby William, as well as his son sitting alongside the proud patriarch and his stepmother, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

A very Happy Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/H4xdjYKcLE

— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) June 21, 2021

The British royal family’s official Twitter account also shared several photos of a smiling William from over the years.

“Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday today! #HappyBirthdayHRH,” the post read.

Prince William thanked the public on social media for the well-wishes.

The estranged brothers could be reunited within days. Picture: AFP

“Thank you for all the birthday wishes and kind messages,” William wrote on the official Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Instagram page.

Over the weekend, Prince William celebrated Father’s Day in the UK by kicking off a half-marathon at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte, according to reports.

🎈Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday today! #HappyBirthdayHRHpic.twitter.com/9NB5klLpqN

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 21, 2021

The trio was dressed casually for the event as they cheered on all the runners.

Prince William has two more special birthdays coming up in his calendar. On July 1, he is expected to join his younger brother, Prince Harry, to unveil a new statue dedicated to their late mother Princess Diana, who would have turned 60 that day. Then on July 22, his eldest son George will celebrate his eighth birthday.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes and kind messages 🎂 pic.twitter.com/3FcvQoFtD6

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) June 21, 2021

HARRY MAKES DASH TO UK FOR DIANA MEMORIAL

It comes as Prince Harry could return to Britain in the next 24 hours so he can self-isolate ahead of a memorial for his late mother, Princess Diana.

The tribute doesn’t take place until July 1 – on what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday – but Prince Harry will need to quarantine beforehand due to Covid travel rules.

He is thought to be flying in from California, where he lives with wife Meghan, son Archie and newborn daughter Lilibet, today or tomorrow, according to a report in The Sun.

But as the US is on the UK’s amber travel list, he will need to isolate for up to 10 days.

Arrivals into the UK must also have proof of a negative Covid test result before departure, and have two further tests of days two and eight on their return.

Prince Harry could reunite with his family over the next 24 hours. Picture: Getty Images

Isolation periods can be cut short to five days if an additional test is paid for under the test-to-release scheme.

So the latest Prince Harry could possibly arrive to safely attend the event would be June 25.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to stay at his former home Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where his cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank currently reside.

It is where he stayed when he returned to Britain for his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral in April.

It is believed he was allowed to leave isolation to attend the service on compassionate grounds – as Government Covid rules state mourners must isolate at “all other times”.

Prince Harry and Prince William are expected to stand together at the memorial next week, but will reportedly deliver separate speeches.

Prince Harry is expected to return home to the UK for a memorial for his late mother. Picture: Getty Images

Buckingham Palace is reportedly braced for a tense atmosphere despite the brothers calling a truce out of respect for their late mother.

They are said to have only been communicating by text amid the bitter fallout of Megxit and the Sussexes’ bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.

“There have not been any personal chats or proper talks, just a very brief and minimal exchange of text messages,” a source reportedly told The Sun.

“The relationship is still very much strained and there’s no sign yet that there will be any sort of coming together any time soon.”

Prince Charles will reportedly not attend the ceremony and will instead travel to Scotland.

There are currently no plans for Prince Harry to meet his father – after he accused him of ignoring his calls after Megxit and being financially cut off last year.

Meghan Markle will not accompany her husband if he returns to the UK. Picture: Apple TV

But royal sources said the door had been left open for the pair to meet in the preceding days.

A source said: “Charles will leave the boys to it. Harry will need to quarantine for at least five days when he lands in England, most likely at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

“Charles has made it quite clear he will not be around beyond that because he is going to Scotland.

“There is no planned meeting between the three of them.”

Meanwhile, Prince Harry reportedly wants to have his own journalist at the unveiling of the statue dedicated to his late mother, it is claimed.

The Daily Mail reported that Prince Harry will be accompanied by a hand-picked reporter at the memorial after he and Meghan were scathing about the British press.

– with The Sun

Originally published as Prince William turns 39, Prince Harry to return to UK for Princess Diana memorial ‘in next 24 hours’