How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Celebrated Archie's Birthday Amid Hectic Travel Plans

The Sussex family had a "low-key" birthday party for Archie before heading out on an international trip.

By Michael Hein

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have a busy schedule ahead of them, but they still made time to celebrate Prince Archie's fifth birthday on May 6, 2024. The Duke of Sussex headed to the U.K. this week for a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, and he will then head to Nigeria for more Invictus-related events where Markle will join him. According to a report by PEOPLE, they still made time for a "low-key" party just before leaving.

"They'll have friends around them and Meghan's mom, Doria [Ragland]," a source close to the couple said on Monday. "Meghan will definitely have support that weekend." The insider added that Archie's younger sister Lilibet will also be celebrating, saying: "They are so sweet together. Archie loves Lili. He's such a sweet boy. When she's not around, he asks, 'Where's Lili?'"

Archie's birthday is the same date as the anniversary of King Charles III's coronation, which spread Prince Harry thin last year. The prince dutifully flew to the U.K. to be present for the ceremony in 2023, but as soon as it was over he went straight to the airport and flew home to get back to his son's birthday celebration as soon as possible. Markle and the children did not attend the coronation at all, just as she skipped the event in London this week.

Pundits have had a lot to say about the Sussexes' recent travel itinerary. The fact that Markle is traveling overseas to visit Nigeria but skipped the portion of the trip in the U.K. struck many as an intentional sleight. The Duchess has not been back to the U.K. since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

The prince's time in the U.K. did not go as planned, either. Previous reports indicated that his event in London would end at the same as his father's event at Buckingham Palace just two miles away, and that the two would meet up afterward. However, according to a report by The Post the meeting fell through because of the king's "full" schedule. Royal expert Charlotte Griffiths said that they actually called the meeting off because they couldn't agree on who would be joining them.

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"I think the reason was because Harry made certain demands about who could be in the room and who couldn't. Although on the surface it looks like a snub, Harry made it very difficult for his father," Griffiths said. "Maybe other forces were driving Charles' position on this. William may have had a thought about how this meeting should be conducted or whether it should be conducted at all."

"We know that Charles likes to meet Harry with Camilla in the room, which isn't always a popular decision," she went on. "Harry was without his wife as well, so this was fraught with difficulty."

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