Prince Harry on telling Archie about Princess Diana
Prince Archie Harrison’s first four years of life have certainly been busy. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s only son has lived in three different countries, partaken in an official Royal Tour and become a memorable star of a Netflix documentary series.
On Saturday, May 6, he will celebrate his fourth birthday, marking the third time he has spent the special occasion in the US, where his parents Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, settled after stepping down from their roles within the Royal Family.
This year, Archie is expected to spend his birthday with his mum Meghan and younger sister Princess Lilibet in California. The Duke of Sussex will be in London for the Coronation of King Charles III, which will take place on Saturday morning, but will reportedly jet back to the US to spend part of the day with his son.
The family, whose public appearances decreased significantly following the royal exit in 2020, is likely to spend the occasion privately.
And while royal fans hold out hope for the release of a new photograph of Archie to mark his milestone, Express.co.uk looks back at the sweetest moments captured on camera so far. Happy birthday Prince Archie!
READ MORE: Princess Charlotte life in pictures — from trademark sass to keeping her brothers in line
First close-up
Prince Archie was born on May 6, 2019 (Image: Getty)
He was the firstborn of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Image: Getty)
Harry and Meghan introduced their son to the world at Windsor Castle. Standing in the historical and beautiful St George’s Hall, they posed as a family of three for the first time in front of a few invited members of the media.
What was meant to be a quick photocall turned into a three-minute chat, with the Duke and Duchess said to be delighted to be talking about their baby.
Hours later, they revealed their baby’s name: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
On July 6, he was christened at Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. The official portrait from 2019 was taken by photographer Chris Allerton in the Castle’s Green Drawing Room. It featured not only the proud parents, but also King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the Waleses, Meghan’s mother Doria, and Princess Diana’s sisters.
Archie was christened Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on July 6, 2019 (Image: Chris Allerton /©️SussexRoyal)
An image of Archie released by the Sussexes for Father’s Day, June 2019 (Image: SussexRoyal/Instagram)
First months at Frogmore
Harry and Meghan moved into Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate shortly before Archie was born.
The five-bed property became the young Prince’s first home, where he spent the first 10 months of his life.
Although at the time, the Duke and Duchess kept their baby’s upbringing relatively private, in their recent Netflix series they revealed never-seen-before images of their time in Berkshire.
Meghan snaps a shot of her with her newborn son, in what looks to be his Frogmore Cottage nursery (Image: Netflix)
All Prince Harry’s seven Coronation ‘demands’ – from Archie’s birthday to balcony moment
After weeks of speculation, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, finally confirmed last week that he would be attending King Charles’s Coronation.
However, it has been reported that he made a number of demands to his father if the new monarch wanted both him and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, in attendance – and only three of them have been met so far.
Here, Express.co.uk breaks down the seven ‘demands’ Harry made.
Family outing
In July 2019, Archie was seen publicly for the first time with his aunt and uncle: Kate, Princess of Wales, and Prince William.
Meghan was seen cradling her newborn son alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.
While Harry and William participated in a charity polo match, Kate, Meghan and the royal children watched on from the sidelines.
Prince Louis could be seen paying particular attention to his little cousin, seemingly making faces at Meghan and baby Archie.
Meghan and Harry at a charity polo match in July 2019 (Image: Getty)
Meghan and Archie were photographed alongside Kate and Louis (Image: Getty)
First Royal Tour
When he was just four months old, Archie embarked on his first official Royal Tour.
He accompanied his parents on their visit to Africa, which saw Harry and Meghan stop in South Africa, Malawi, Angola and Botswana during a 10-day trip.
Baby Archie joined his parents on their tour of Africa in September 2019 (Image: Getty)
Archie met Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Image: Getty)
First Christmas
Harry and Meghan released their first Christmas card as a family of three in December 2019. The black-and-white image shows the pair laughing as Archie steals the show.
Notably, Archie spent his first Christmas in Canada. Shortly after their African tour, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they’d be skipping the traditional royal Christmas at Sandringham to spend the festive period with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.
Archie has never spent Christmas in his country of birth, having moved across to the US shortly before his second birthday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Christmas card, December 2019 (Image: Sussex Royal)
Harry and Archie spending Christmas in Canada (Image: Sussex Royal / PA Images)
New life in the US
The Sussexes relocated to California in March 2020, first moving into Tyler Perry’s Beverly Hills mansion but ultimately settling down in Montecito.
Archie celebrated his first birthday in May of that year. To mark the occasion, Harry and Meghan released a video of the Duchess reading to their son. Meghan read Duck! Rabbit! to a giggling Archie.
It was the first glimpse into the Duke and Duchess’s new lives in the US.
The Duchess of Sussex reading Duck! Rabbit! to Archie for his first birthday, May 2020 (Image: Duke of Sussex / PA Media)
Harry and Meghan celebrate Archie’s first birthday (Image: Netflix)
Prince Harry’s Coronation ‘request’ questioned as Duke missed Archie’s birthday last year
Royal fans have taken to Twitter to point out Prince Harry wasn’t at home for the whole day when Prince Archie Harrison turned three in May 2022.
This comes after it was claimed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asked for the fourth birthday of their son, which falls on the day of King Charles’s Coronation, to be acknowledged in some way before they decide whether to attend the historic event.
Read more HERE.
By the time of Archie’s second birthday, Harry and Meghan were expecting another child.
In their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, they revealed Meghan was pregnant with a baby girl.
Photographs shared in their recent Netflix documentary series showed the Duchess while she was pregnant for the second time; one featured a smiling Meghan with baby Archie resting on her bump.
To celebrate Archie’s birthday in May 2021, Harry and Meghan shared a new photo of their son on the website of their organisation, Archewell. At the same time, they announced a new initiative for COVID-19 vaccine equity.
In the sepia-toned photo, taken outside, Archie was photographed from behind, holding a bouquet of balloons.
Archie appeared in a clip during the Oprah interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, March 2021 (Image: CBS)
Meghan was expecting her second child in 2021 (Image: Netflix)
Archie’s second birthday was marked with the release of a new photograph (Image: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex / Archewell)
Family of four
Shortly after Archie’s second birthday, Harry and Meghan welcomed their daughter Princess Lilibet Diana to the world.
The family were seen for the first time as a four in their 2021 Christmas card, which showed Harry and Meghan sitting on the steps of their home with Archie and Lilibet.
With a head of auburn hair, Archie appeared to be growing up just like his dad.
The Duke and Duchess with Archie and Lilibet in their family Christmas card, December 2021 (Image: Alexi Lubomirski/Duke and Duchess of Sussex)
Away from royal spotlight
Archie and Lilibet are growing up across the pond, thousands of miles away from their father’s former royal life.
From the images shared in Harry & Meghan, the siblings are embracing the California lifestyle — with photographs showing the youngsters gardening, running along the beach and enjoying the summer sun.
The young Prince celebrated his third birthday in Montecito in May 2022.
Archie and Lilibet are growing up in Montecito (Image: Netflix)
Meghan holds Archie and Lilibet (Image: Netflix)
Archie toddles back up the slip’n’slide during the summer (Image: Netflix)
First Frogmore return
In June 2022, Archie returned to his former home for the first time since 2020.
The Sussexes jetted across to the UK for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, marking the first — and only — time the Duke and Duchess have travelled to Harry’s home country with their children.
In photos shared in the Netflix series, the family of four can be seen in the gardens of Frogmore Cottage. There, they celebrated the first birthday of their daughter Lilibet.
In one picture, the Sussexes are all dressed up; Meghan carries Archie in her arms while Lili sits on her dad’s shoulders. In another, they can be seen celebrating the one-year-old’s birthday.
The Sussexes in the gardens of Frogmore Cottage (Image: Netflix)
The Sussexes celebrated Lili’s birthday in June 2022 (Image: Netflix)
