Exclusive:Royal Author Claims King Charles Is ‘Uncomfortable’ About a Birthday Call to Prince Archie — Here’s Why

Prince Archie, son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, turned 5 on April 6, 2024, and, according to a commentator, is likely to have heard from his grandfather, King Charles III.

Happy birthday, Prince Archie! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son is 5 years old as of May 6, 2024. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrate ahead of the Invictus Games anniversary and a trip to Nigeria, King Charles III is reportedly “uncomfortable” about calling his grandson to wish him a happy birthday. According to a royal commentator, the king’s not keen on the idea of speaking to Archie in an “ordinary” phone call or making a video call to the Sussexes.

It seems King Charles is in something of a tricky situation as Archie, one of the 75-year-old monarch’s five grandchildren, turns 5.

He is, per royal author Tom Quinn, not enthusiastic about video-calling Archie, who lives in Montecito, California, with Harry, Meghan, and Princess Lilibet, to wish him a happy birthday. Nor does he like the alternative of making an “ordinary” phone call.

“King Charles dislikes new technology,” the Gilded Youth author told The Mirror. (Harry briefly touched on his father’s aversion to modern technology in Spare, recalling how the king preferred letters to the phone during the now-39-year-old’s tours of Afghanistan.)

Nevertheless, King Charles is “desperate to keep in touch with his grandchildren on the other side of the Atlantic, so he will certainly call Harry and wish Archie [a] happy birthday.”

“Charles [has] been asking about video calling, but according to his aides, he’s uncomfortable with the idea,” Quinn continued.

The alternative of a regular old phone call isn’t entirely appealing either because King Charles is concerned about not speaking to his daughter-in-law.

“If he makes an ordinary telephone call to Harry,” the author said, “it means he can have a quick word with Archie without the need to talk to Meghan, a prospect that fills him with dread.”

May 6 is not only special for Archie, but it’s also meaningful for King Charles, who was crowned the same day in 2023. (Harry attended the London, England, coronation ceremony alone while Meghan stayed in California with Archie and Lilibet.)