Prince William and Kate Middleton sent Archie a birthday message on social media.- The post has led some to believe that their relationship with the Sussexes is on the mend.
- But Andrew Morton, a royal biographer, doesn't think this is the case.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge publicly sent Archie Harrison a happy-birthday message on social media amid speculation about their relationship with the Sussexes.
"Wishing Archie a very happy 2nd birthday today," Prince William and Kate Middleton's official Twitter account tweeted on Thursday, alongside a photo taken by Chris Allerton from Archie's christening in July 2019.
-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 6, 2021
The christening and a family outing at a charity polo match during the same month were the only public appearances the Cambridges made with their nephew before
Rumors of a rift were first confirmed by Prince Harry in 2019. He said in an ITV documentary that he and Prince William were "on different paths."
Harry and Markle and William and Middleton didn't appear to acknowledge each other at the Sussexes' final royal engagement in March 2020. Despite sitting just a row apart at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, the couples did not make eye contact.
Harry reunited with William and Middleton at Prince Philip's funeral service on April 17. Footage of the trio talking after the service led to speculation over whether the rift had ended.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's birthday tribute to Archie has received mixed reactions on Twitter.
Some people believed the post signaled that the relationship between the Cambridges and Sussexes was healing.
-Lauren McLaren (@laurenmclaren14) May 6, 2021
-Elle Kay (@ElleKay001) May 7, 2021
But others weren't convinced.
One Twitter user responding to the post referenced Markle's claims that Archie wasn't provided royal protection when he was born, and the family's temporary stay at Tyler Perry's home after moving to the US in March 2020. Perry temporarily offered the Sussex family his Los Angeles home, which included security.
-Tianna, the Producer (@dontsmileattee) May 6, 2021
Another compared Markle's experience of joining the
-Max Epstein (@MaxEpstein5) May 6, 2021
Andrew Morton, Princess Diana's biographer, believed the couples still have a long way to go before they can reconcile.
"You don't say that your brother's trapped and your father's trapped in the institution, which you were born into, and expect everyone to be all sweet," Morton previously told Insider, referencing comments made by Prince Harry during his Oprah Winfrey interview in March.
Harry told Winfrey that, unlike him, William and Prince Charles "don't get to leave" the institution.
Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.