Without a doubt, Prince Harry went all out to celebrate his wife Meghan Markle’s 43rd birthday on Sunday. In an excerpt from his revealing memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex, who is no longer a member of the royal family, recalled a particular memory that his father, King Charles, had with his wife.
Prince Harry, who turns 40 next month, revealed in the book how his father, King Charles, had a strong relationship with Meghan and how her birthday had a particular significance for him and his “favourite person,” Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
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“Towards the end of summer 2018 we went to Scotland, the Castle of Mey, to spend a few days with Pa,” wrote Harry. “That weekend strengthened the already strong bond between Meg and Pa.
“One evening, while enjoying pre-dinner cocktails and listening to Fred Astaire in the background, Meg discovered that she was born on the same day as Pa’s favorite person, Gan-Gan. August 4th.”
King Charles, who had only a few weeks earlier led Meghan down the aisle at her 2018 nuptials with Prince Harry, responded affectionately to the news.
Harry continued, “‘Amazing,’ Pa said with a smile. “At the memory of Gan-Gan, and the link between her and my bride, he suddenly became buoyant, telling stories I’d never heard, essentially performing, showing off for Meg.”
Since just one year into their relationship, Prince Harry is said to have flown his then-American girlfriend to Botswana for her 36th birthday in 2017. Meghan’s birthday has always been special for the couple. Only a few weeks before their engagement, Harry proposed in the garden of Nottingham Cottage, his former residence in Kensington Palace.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex separated as senior royals in 2020, nearly two years after their nuptials, and moved to the US permanently with their son Prince Archie. In July 2020, the couple purchased their first house in Montecito, and a year later, Princess Lilibet, their second child, was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
In a prerecorded interview for the US program CBS Sunday Morning on Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan discussed a new program that supports parents whose children have experienced online harm.
The Parents’ Network was introduced during the televised interview, which was aired on Meghan’s 43rd birthday and in collaboration with the couple’s charitable Archewell Foundation.
Parents in the US, UK, and Canada can join the initiative, which aims to give them access to a free, safe support network for parents whose children have been harmed by social media.
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“Our kids are young, they’re three and five, they’re amazing, but all you want to do as parents is protect them,” Meghan said of her daughter Lilibet and eldest child Archie.
“And so, as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good.”
