William and Kate Wish Prince Harry a Happy Birthday Amid Strained Relationship

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship with his family faced some obstacles since they stepped down from their royal duties — details

Happy Birthday! As Prince Harry rings in his 37th year around the sun, many of his family members celebrated the special day on social media.

Prince William and Duchess Kate posted a photo of Harry via their Instagram and captioned it with a simple, “Happy Birthday Prince Harry” on Wednesday, September 15. On the same day, Harry and Meghan Markle were named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2021 and posted together for their first magazine cover.

The well-wishes come as William, 39, and Harry continue to have a strained relationship following the younger brother’s departure from the royal family. The Sussexes made headlines in January 2020 when they announced plans to step back from their senior royal duties, a decision that was later made permanent in February.

The pair, who tied the knot in 2018, opened up about their decision to part ways with the royal family during a tell-all interview on CBS one month later.

“I was trapped but I didn’t know I was trapped,” Harry said at the time. “Trapped within the system like the rest of the family. My father [Prince Charles] and my brother are trapped. They don’t get to leave and I have huge compassion for that.”

Following the explosive interview, a source told Us Weekly that the older brother was “struggling to hold back” when it came to addressing Harry’s claims of racism within The Firm and that Meghan, 40, wasn’t offered support during her time in the U.K.

“He wants to get his side out there,” the insider noted. “The queen is insisting that the royals handle the matter privately.”

William and Harry reunited on several occasions, for Prince Philip‘s funeral in April and for the unveiling of their mother Princess Diana’s statue in July, but their relationship has yet to be completely mended.

More of an effort was made between the brothers after Harry and Meghan recently welcomed their daughter Lilibet in June. The pair are already parents to son Archie, 2.

“Kate has been reaching out to Meghan a lot more since [Lilibet] was born, she’s sending [notes and] gifts and trying to build up a relationship,” a source shared with Us at the time. “The firm has been instructing staffers to reach out more to Harry and Meghan to get them to soften a bit.”

William and Kate, 39, who share Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3, posted a congratulatory message on Instagram following Lilibet’s birth, writing, “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie.”

Scroll down to see all the royal family members who have wished Prince Harry a happy birthday so far: