Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son turned two on Thursday.
Happy Birthday, Archie! The adorable son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle turned two on Thursday and even though he's an ocean away from his extended family in the United Kingdom, the birthday boy still received lots of love.
The official Royal Family account, which represents Queen Elizabeth II, shared a sweet family photo of Harry and Meghan with their newborn son at Windsor Castle, writing, "Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 2nd birthday today."
Prince Charles shared a black-and-white portrait of himself and his son, Harry, with Archie at his private christening.
As for Prince William and Kate Middleton, they posted a group photo from Archie's christening service.
The posts come amid ongoing tension between the royal family and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The couple made the decision to step down as senior members of the royal family in 2020 and the decision became official earlier this year. In March, the couple participated in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey where they discussed an alleged conversation between Harry and a senior member of the royal family who expressed "concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie's] skin might be when he was born." The couple declined to identify the member of the family who allegedly made those statements, but did note that it was neither the queen nor Prince Philip.
Harry recently reunited with his family last month for the intimate funeral service for his grandfather, Prince Philip.
A source told ET that despite reports that some interactions with his family were "frosty," Harry welcomed the opportunity to reconnect, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic has prevented him and Meghan from returning to the U.K. over the last year. According to the source, Harry has been working with William on the upcoming commemoration to their mother, the late Princess Diana, which is scheduled for later this summer on what would have been her 60th birthday in July.
As for how Harry and Meghan are celebrating Archie's birthday, royal expert Katie Nicholl tells ET that they're remaining tightlipped about their plans, but despite the royals' issues with one another, they always planned on celebrating.
"I understand that there were plans for a Zoom call. I know the Queen is particularly keen to see Archie today because of course none of the family has seen him for about 18 months now," Nicholl notes. "They are missing out on all those important milestones. I do know that when it comes to birthdays, great efforts have been made, particularly with the Sussexes in Los Angeles, for there to be some kind of connection with the family. Just an opportunity to say hi, happy birthday."
Nicholl says if there is a party for Archie, it will be "lowkey."
"A small birthday party at the family home. I would imagine that Meghan's mother, Doria [Ragland], will be there, but I think they will keep it pretty tightknit," she shares. "I think if you look at his birthday party last year, it was pretty lowkey. I can see Meghan probably making a cake, it being a time for the family to come together and to mark this second birthday."
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