Archie Mountbatten-Windsor has turned two!
Today is Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s son’s birthday, and members of the royal family have taken to social media to wish him a happy birthday. Prince William and Duchess Catherine, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, and, of course, Queen Elizabeth, all sent warm messages to the young royal and exchanged throwback memories of themselves with him.
Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stood down as senior members of the royal family last year, Archie, who is seventh in line to the throne but does not have a formal royal title, has resided in California with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Wishing Archie a very happy 2nd birthday today.” Kate and William captioned a family shot from Archie’s christening in 2019, which they posted under their new Instagram handle @dukeandduchessofcambridge. Baby Archie sits on Meghan’s knee in the shot, with Harry sitting beside her and Camilla and Kate on either side of the new parents. Behind them are Prince Charles, Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, Princess Diana’s sisters Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, and William.
The queen expressed her birthday greetings by tweeting a snapshot of Meghan and Harry introducing baby Archie to the world in the days after his birth.
The sovereign’s birthday message read, “Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 2nd birthday today. 🎈,”
Meanwhile, Charles and Camilla posted a black-and-white shot of Charles, Harry, and Archie, which was also taken on Archie’s christening day. The caption read, “Happy birthday to Archie, who turns two today,”
Since Harry, Meghan, and Archie moved to California early last year, the royal family and the Sussexes would be celebrating Archie’s second birthday separately. During the couple’s March sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry announced that his son was adapting to life on the West Coast.
“This year has been crazy for everybody,” Harry said. “But to have outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie and we can go for walks as a family, and with the dogs and go on hikes or go to the beach which is so close, all of these things are … the highlight [for me].”
Archie was born on May 6, 2019, in England, weighing 7 pounds and 3 ounces.
The royal family’s handling of Archie and Meghan was a major talking point in the Sussexes’ explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, with Meghan detailing horrifying racist encounters. Meghan recounted her concerns about Archie’s welfare after learning he would not be granted a title, depriving him of the security afforded to titled royals (like the Cambridge children.) The Duchess of Sussex reflected, “The first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be.”
Members of the royal family shared “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born,” Meghan continued. She went on to say, “That was relayed to me from Harry. Those were conversations that family had with him .” While Winfrey later confirmed that “neither his grandmother nor grandfather [i.e. the Queen and Prince Philip] were part of these conversations.” the Sussexes did not mention the royals who made the racist remarks.
Meghan and Harry celebrated their son’s birthday by urging people to donate to the Covid-19 vaccine equity campaign.
“We will not be able to truly recover [from the Covid-19 pandemic] until everyone, everywhere, has equal access to the vaccine. And with that intention, we are inviting you to contribute whatever you can — if you have the means to do so — to bring vaccines to families in the world’s most vulnerable places,” the pair said in a statement on the Archewell website, which they created last year as a charitable organization.
Other organizations would pair each $5 contribution with an additional $15, they added.
“We cannot think of a more resonant way to honor our son’s birthday.”
Megan recently announced that she has published a children’s book based on Harry and Archie’s adventures.
The 40-page illustrated book, titled “The Bench,” will be published on June 8. It tells the tale of a “special bond” between a father and his son, as seen through the eyes of a woman.
Meghan said in a statement Tuesday that “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born,” “That poem became this story.”
The book is aimed at children aged 3 to 7.
“My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine,” she said.
