40- and far from home

No longer trusted by public since he quit public life, relocated.

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Prince Harry was once one of the British royal family's most popular members, but as he celebrates his 40th birthday this weekend, he is increasingly distanced from the UK public and his own family.

The younger son of King Charles III, now living in California with his American television actress wife Meghan and their two young children, reaches the landmark tomorrow.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Archie, aged five, and three-year-old Princess Lilibet live in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, near Santa Barbara, on the US West Coast.

But Harry is not only separated by geography.

"He is completely isolated.

"I don't see him coming back even with a minor role... there's no sign of an official role for him," Pauline Maclaran, from Royal Holloway University of London, said.

"The public don't trust him," added royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.

Harry's ties with the royal family have been increasingly fraught since the couple quit royal life and moved to North America in early 2020.