Prince Harry turns 40 on Sunday with eyes focused on his future

Britain's Prince Harry will turn 40 in California on Sunday, thousands of miles away from his royal roots, with no sign that distance is dimming interest in King Charles' younger son.

With his Netflix documentaries, his charity work, his legal battles with the British tabloid press and his rift with the rest of the royals, Harry is rarely out of the spotlight.

The prince will mark his 40th birthday with a private celebration at his Montecito home in southern California, where he lives with his American wife Meghan, 43, and their two children.

The milestone has prompted a slew of media stories and speculation back in Britain about his future career and whether he might return to active royal duties.

In one lengthy article, the Sunday Times quoted unnamed friends as saying Harry was at an unhappy crossroads in his life. One former adviser was quoted as saying, "All he does is spend time looking back."

But sources close to the prince said Harry was looking to the future with excitement and a list of projects, including another Netflix special, this one about the elite world of professional polo.

Later this month he will attend events in New York for Travalyst, his initiative to make the travel industry more sustainable, and for The Diana Award, the charity set up in honour of his late mother Princess Diana.

'IT'S STILL DANGEROUS'

In a recent ITV documentary, Harry said his concern about his immediate family's security - he is involved in legal action against the British government after his police protection was taken away - meant he would not return home, especially amid hostility from the tabloid press.

"It's still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read, and whether it's a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me," he said.

Critics blame him for the negativity, saying he was the one who chose to talk about the rift with his father, the king, and elder brother Prince William on TV and in his memoir "Spare", while living off his royal background.

Supporters counter that he has come under pressure because of his self-declared mission to hold newspaper bosses to account.

He has already successfully sued the Mirror newspaper group over phone hacking and other allegations and is still involved in lawsuits against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group and the publisher of the Daily Mail and MailOnline.

Harry acknowledges that his media battles have contributed to his family rift, and as it stands, there appears to be no sign of this healing.

"Reports suggest that whilst Charles would be open to a return of some sort on the part of his son and daughter-in-law, William absolutely wouldn't be open to that," Anna Whitelock, Professor of the History of the Monarchy at City, University of London, said.