Prince Harry turns 40, distanced from royals

LONDON - An optimistic Prince Harry on Friday said he was "excited about 40" before he reaches the landmark birthday this weekend, but his positive outlook contrasts with negative opinion of him back home and strained family ties.

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 milestone on Sunday.

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.

"I was anxious about 30, I'm excited about 40," he told the BBC in a statement, adding that becoming a father had given him a "fresh perspective on life".

"Being a dad is one of life's greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place," he added.

Royal commentators, however, contrasted his positive outlook with his continued isolation from the royal family and reflected that there was little chance that he could return to the fold.

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

Former British Army captain Harry, meanwhile, is keeping busy with several projects, chief among them preparation and promotion of the Invictus Games he founded for military veterans with disabilities.

He and Meghan also recently completed a mini-tour in Colombia and Nigeria promoting mental health, equality and inclusion.

Pauline Maclaran, who has written about the royals and consumer culture, said such tours could refine the Sussexes' "branding" and make them "stay relevant".

But she warned that only "the (royal) titles that make them different from other celebrities".