The Duchess of Sussex will ring in birthday No. 37 on Saturday, with her husband, Prince Harry, by her side!
Happy birthday, Meghan Markle!
The Duchess of Sussex will turn 37 on Saturday, and is planning to celebrate her first birthday as a royal with her husband, Prince Harry, by her side.
The two will attend the nuptials of Daisy Jenks and Charlie Van Straubenzee, who has been Prince Harry's friend since childhood (and was one of the lucky 600 guests invited to the royal wedding back in May). According to a tweet from royal photographer Tim Rooke, the Duke of Sussex will serve as Charlie's best man.
This birthday will surely be unlike any other birthdays Meghan has had in the past. According to protocol, royals are expected to only have low-key birthday celebrations, with the exception of the queen, who is treated to a party on her actual birthday (April 21) and another celebration that typically falls on the second Saturday in June. For Harry's 33rd birthday last September, for example, he quietly spent the weekend in London with Meghan, just the two of them, away from the public eye.
Last August, before he popped the question, Prince Harry helped his then-girlfriend Meghan ring in another year older with a romantic, surprise trip to South Africa. Exactly a month later, Meghan broke her silence on their romance in a candid interview with Vanity Fair.
"It has its challenges, and it comes in waves," she told the outlet, when asked about all the public attention she received since dating Harry. "Some days it can feel more challenging than others. And right out of the gate it was surprising the way things changed. But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriend's support."
"I can tell you that at the end of the day, I think it’s really simple," she added. "We're two people who are really happy and in love."
And long before Meghan became a duchess, she was very active on social media, often sharing highlights from her parties with friends. For her 35th birthday in 2016, she shared a cute selfie (taken using a Snapchat filter) to Instagram, thanking her fans for their well wishes.
"Thank you for all the birthday love! Cheers to all of you for sticking with me on all things serious and silly," wrote Meghan, who had to delete all her social media accounts and her lifestyle blog, The Tig, once she became engaged to Harry. "Let's have another amazing year."
In a post shared to The Tig that same year, Meghan revealed her yearly birthday tradition, inspired by her mother, Doria Ragland.
"My mom has always said that birthdays are your own personal New Year," the since-deleted post read. "Your own chance to make resolutions just for yourself and what you prognosticate for your year ahead."
At the time, Meghan said she was wishing for "more surprises, more adventure, more opportunities to grow, more days filled with giggles and cheeky jokes, more delicious meals and more inspiration."
"Thank you all for the birthday love, and for the endless support," she added. "For helping my life nestle in to such a happy place that I wish for absolutely nothing more than what I have."
Meghan shared that same type of optimism in a post shared to the site on her 33rd birthday in 2014.
"I am 33 years old today. And I am happy," she gushed. "And I say that so plainly because, well…it takes time. To be happy. To figure out how to be kind to yourself. To not just choose that happiness, but to feel it."
As for her childhood birthdays, Meghan used to spend them in Woodland Hills, California, with her family and close pals. ET spoke with Meghan's half-sister, Samantha Grant, back in November 2016, who said the former actress had a very "normal" upbringing.
"At a young age, she was thrust into this position of requiring her to be articulate and graceful and worldly and mature," she revealed. "She's got the eloquence of a Condoleezza Rice, and the grace of Princess Diana."
Interestingly enough, Aug. 4 is a very special day for the royal family. Not only was Meghan born on this day in 1981, but it's also the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II's late mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who was born Aug. 4, 1900. She died in 2002 at the age of 101.
Those born on Aug. 4 are Leos, who are believed to be social, charming, responsible and natural born leaders. Other stars with an Aug. 4 birthday include Meghan's former Suits co-star, Abigail Spencer, and former president Barack Obama, along with actors Billy Bob Thornton, Cole and Dylan Sprouse, former DWTS pro Kym Johnson and NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.
If you're like us, and looking for a fun way to honor Meghan's birthday with friends, check out the surprisingly easy food and drink recipes the royal once featured on The Tig here, and watch the video below for adorable throwback footage from 1990 of the former actress once just pretending she was royalty!
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