Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s first-born child Archie turned three on Friday, and the couple are celebrating the occasion at their family home in Montecito, California.

While the Sussexes might be marking the birthday in the US, the royal family commemorated the occasion by sharing sweet family photographs.

A photo posted on the Royal Family’s official Twitter account shows the Queen and her late husband Prince Philip meeting Archie as a newborn.

The accompanying message reads: “Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday! [sic]”

Joining them in sending birthday wishes to the couple’s son were Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The parents-of-three to Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, seven and Prince Louis, four, shared a photograph from Archie’s christening, which took place on July 6, 2019 in a private chapel at Windsor Castle.

It showed Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and two of Princess Diana’s sisters.

The Cambridges captioned the snap: “Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today [sic].”

Prince Charles posted the same photo to own Clarence House Twitter account, writing: “Happy Birthday Archie! [sic]”

In April, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly promised the Queen that she would be able to hug her great-grandchildren, include Lilibet, 10 months, ‘in the near future’.

This was understood to have happened during the couple’s quick visit to Windsor Castle on Easter Sunday, prior to arriving in Holland, Netherlands for the Invictus Games.

The trip marked the couple’s first return to the UK since they stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020. The occasion saw Prince Harry briefly reunite with Prince Charles too.

Earlier this year, reports revealed that the 96-year old monarch and her eldest son Prince Charles were yet to meet the couple’s youngest child, whose name takes after Her Majesty’s nickname.

It was also highlighted that the Prince of Wales last saw baby Archie when he was just six months old.

Prince Harry previously aired his concerns about flying to the UK due to security issues. It’s been hoped that he could fly over to the UK in time for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, after the longest-reining monarch celebrated 70 years on the throne in February.

However, as per the Daily Mail, the Duke has pledged to play a full season of polo in California, which runs across the Bank Holiday Weekend (from Thursday June 2 to Sunday June 5), which could mean he misses out on attending.

In January, The Mirror reported that Prince Charles had invited his son and daughter-in-law to stay with him amid Prince Harry’s security battles surrounding his family’s lack of police protection.

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A source told the news outlet: “The Prince of Wales has been saddened that he hasn’t had the opportunity to spend time with his grandchildren, which he really does miss. This is something he is hoping to remedy which is why he made the gesture for Harry, Meghan and the children to stay with him if they wanted to, whenever they may come home for a period of time.”

On the other hand, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are reportedly moving to Windsor to be closer to the Queen.

We previously learned that the couple were considering Frogmore Cottage as an option, after ruling out royal mansions, which resides in Windsor Castle and is the current UK home of Prince Harry and Markle.

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Since then, news has surfaced that they are likely to move to Adelaide Cottage, which is in Home Park in Windsor and a short walk from the Queen at Windsor Castle.

This article originally appeared on ELLE UK.

Read more:
How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Prepared Archie for His Little Sister Lili’s Arrival
Meghan Markle Reads to Her Son, Archie, in an Adorable New Video
Meghan Markle On The Effect Tabloid Bullying Had On Her As A New Mom: I’m “Not Really Okay”

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