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Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall mark Prince Harry's birthday with touching photo

The Duke of Sussex turned 37 on Wednesday 15 September

charles camilla mark prince harry birthday
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were among the royals to mark the Duke of Sussex's 37th birthday on Wednesday.

MORE: Prince William and Kate Middleton send birthday wishes to Prince Harry

Taking to their Clarence House social media accounts, Charles and Camilla shared three photos of Prince Harry at past royal engagements, including one of Charles and Harry in South Africa in 1997. This was the pair's first trip abroad following Princess Diana's tragic death. It was Prince Harry's first major tour and it happened during his half-term break from school. Prince William did not accompany the pair at the time because his half-term ended on the week they were away.

During his tour of Africa in 2019, Harry spoke about why Africa is such a special place to him, saying: "Fifteen years I've been coming here, it's a sense of escapism, a real sense of purpose... I have some of my closest friends here over the years. I came here in 1997 or 1998 straight after my mum died, so it was a nice place to get away from it all. I feel deeply connected to this place and to Africa."

 

Along with the pictures, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall wrote: "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very Happy Birthday today" followed by a cake emoji.

READ: Prince Harry praised by First Lady Jill Biden at virtual event honoring Warrior Games athletes

WATCH: Happy Birthday Prince Harry!

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now reside in Montecito, Santa Barbara with their children, two-year-old, Archie, and three-month-old, Lilibet, after stepping back from royal duties in March 2020.

In his interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, Prince Harry admitted the relationship with his father was strained, saying there is "a lot to work through" with Charles, but added: "I will always love him. There's a lot of hurt that's happened. I will continue to make it one of my priorities to heal that relationship."

The Prince of Wales did not publicly comment after the interview aired.

prince harry africa charles© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Harry and Charles in South Africa in 1997

A new epilogue in royal biography Finding Freedom claims that Harry chatted with Charles at a small outdoor gathering at Windsor Castle after Prince Philip's funeral in April.

MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pay homage to victims of 9/11 with touching tribute

MORE: Prince Charles’ touching gesture to Richard E Grant’s wife before her death

Harry previously praised Charles for stepping in to help on his wedding day to Meghan Markle in May 2018.

When the royal bride's father was unable to attend the nuptials, the Prince of Wales instead accompanied Meghan halfway down the aisle at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

Paying tribute to his dad in the 2018 BBC documentary, Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, Harry spoke about the moment he asked Charles to walk his future wife down the aisle: "I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming, and he immediately said, 'Yes, of course, I'll do whatever Meghan needs and I'm here to support you.' For him that's a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support, and you know he's our father so of course he's going to be there for us."

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