Prince Archie has turned seven, and to mark the occasion Meghan Markle shared a rare glimpse into her son's early years with a pair of previously unseen family photographs. Posted to Instagram, the images offered a private snapshot of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's family life in California.
One showed a baby Archie asleep on Prince Harry's chest, while another captured the young royal walking along a beach with his younger sister, Princess Lilibet. "7 years later...happy birthday to our sweet boy," Meghan wrote alongside the pictures.
The birthday tribute offered royal fans another rare glimpse into Archie's life in Montecito, where he lives with his parents and sister following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's move to California after stepping back from royal duties in 2020. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born in London on May 6, 2019, at the private Portland Hospital. His arrival was celebrated around the world, with Harry later describing becoming a father as "the most amazing experience."
Now seven, Archie appears to be growing up in a very different environment from his royal cousins in the UK. He and four-year-old Lilibet are being raised largely away from the public eye, although Meghan has gradually begun sharing more family moments on social media since returning to Instagram earlier this year. The Duchess recently started a new tradition of posting birthday tributes for her children online, similar to the way the Prince and Princess of Wales release photographs to mark milestones for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Last year, Meghan shared a photograph of Archie standing in pyjamas watching the sunset to celebrate his sixth birthday. She also revealed the family hosted a birthday party for him at home, though few details were made public. Archie's latest birthday celebrations are expected to take place at the family's Montecito home, where Harry and Meghan have built a quieter life focused on family.
While relatively little is known about Archie and Lilibet's day-to-day lives, Meghan has offered occasional glimpses into their upbringing. Recent social media posts and interviews have included moments from family baking sessions, holiday celebrations and trips around California. The Sussexes also treated Princess Lilibet to a Disneyland trip for her birthday last year, with Meghan sharing cheerful photographs from the outing featuring both children alongside their parents.
Fans have also been delighted by brief appearances revealing the children's distinctive red hair, inherited from Prince Harry, and their American accents. Most recently, Meghan spoke about family life during an appearance on the podcast Get Down with Sean and Marley, where she revealed that both Archie and Lilibet are fans of the popular Australian children's programme Bluey. "Our kids love Bluey!" Meghan said.
Prince Harry has also spoken openly in recent months about the importance of fatherhood and wanting to create a positive environment for his children. During an appearance in Australia earlier this year, the Duke reflected on how becoming a parent changed his outlook on life. "Certainly from a therapy standpoint, you want to be the best version of yourself for your kids," Harry said. "And I knew that I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with, and therefore prepare myself to basically cleanse myself of the past." He also described fatherhood as "the most important and sort of transformational role that a guy can ever move into." Harry added: "From my perspective, our kids are our upgrade. That's the approach that I take, to know that with the world the way that it goes, the kids that we bring up in today's world need to be an upgrade."
