Meghan Markle has shared an intimate insight into the Sussexes’ family life with the release of nine photographs in celebration of Prince Harry‘s 42nd birthday today.
The Duchess of Sussex, who boasts 4.8million followers on Instagram, uploaded the sea of images of the prince with her and their children with the caption: ‘He’s simply the best. Happy birthday, my love,’ along with a heart emoji.
The montage is accompanied by Noah Reid’s song Simply the Best, a cover of the Tina Turner classic which featured in TV show Schitt’s Creek.
In one sweet snap, Harry is captured on an outdoor adventure with Meghan, 45, alongside Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, as well as their labrador Pula.
Believed to have possibly been taken at Earl Spencer‘s home, Althorp, Harry is seen driving a quad bike down a narrow track with Lilibet and Archie sat either side of an M&S food bag as their beloved dog follows behind.
Meanwhile, in another image shared by the duchess today, Harry is spotted wearing a Santa Barbara Fire Department cap as he shared a kiss with Lilibet, who sported a bright headband and red and white patterned top while sat on a golf cart.
In a sweet tribute to her mother, the 3D embellishments on Lilibet’s fashionable headband appear to be miniature Mahjong tiles – rectangular pieces used to play a traditional Chinese board game adored by the duchess.
Last September, Meghan was joined by her ‘Maj Squad’ – consisting of pals Tracy Robbins, Victoria Jackson and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh – who gathered at her home to play the popular strategy mind-sport which originated in 19th century China.
Meghan Markle shared an intimate insight into the Sussexes’ family life with the release of nine photographs in celebration of Prince Harry’s 42nd birthday today. Source: Meghan/Instagram
In one sweet snap, Harry drives a quad bike with Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, sat beside an M&S food bag, while their beloved labrador Pula trails behind them. Source: Meghan/Instagram
The montage also featured an image of Harry holding hands with Lilibet during a ski trip. The Sussexes are known to be firm fans of the winter sport. Source: Meghan/Instagram
In the back of the image, Meghan, wearing a pair of sunglasses, can be seen dressed in a backless blue top as she soaked up the sunshine.
Showcasing their close father-daughter bond, the montage also featured an image of Harry holding hands with Lilibet during a ski trip – with the young royal keeping warm in pink gloves and purple trousers, while her father donned black salopettes and a grey jacket.
Harry and Meghan are firm fans of the winter sport and often enjoy trips to the slopes together – including visits to Whistler Blackcomb in Canada and Montana’s Yellowstone Club.
One black-and-white photograph shared by Meghan showed the prince carrying Lilibet’s pink tasselled bicycle as they walked together hand-in-hand.
Lilibet sported a pair of cowboy boots and a summer’s dress, while the family’s dog Pula could also be seen in the background enjoying the warm weather.
Questions had been raised over whether Pula, alongside the couple’s rescue beagle Mamma Mia, would be joining the Sussexes in the UK for their move after Meghan was forced to leave behind her rescue dog Bogart during her first move to London.
In another, the young princess took a photograph of Harry, who playfully posed with a basket on his head, with a polaroid camera as the family sat down for a dinner which appeared to include olives and fruit.
Proving she is quite the camerawoman, Lilibet drew connotations to her aunt, the Princess of Wales, who is a keen amateur photographer and in 2015 became the first member of the Royal Family to take the official first images of a royal newborn.
Dressed in a pair of spotty pyjamas, Lilibet and her father were seen in another image enjoying a peaceful lake view from a balcony.
Meanwhile, Harry and his son Archie enjoyed some father-son bonding with a game of archery in another. The father-son duo matched in their casual attire of shorts and a plain white top.
Other images shared by the duchess in celebration of Harry’s birthday included an image of the couple sharing a warm embrace in a vineyard, while Archie is seen playing in the background.
Another striking black-and-white photograph taken of the duke shows him sat in sunglasses and a hat while looking out ahead deep in thought.
Some royal fans have suggested that the snap may have been taken by the Sussexes’ go-to photographer and close friend Misan Harriman, who has taken photographs to mark key events in their lives and is renowned for his black-and-white images.
Harry and Archie enjoyed some father-son bonding with a game of archery in another image. While the young prince wore sandals, his father stayed barefoot. Source: Meghan/Instagram
Dressed in a pair of spotty pyjamas, Lilibet and her father were seen in another image enjoying a peaceful lake view from a balcony. Source: Meghan/Instagram
The post also included a romantic shot of the couple sharing a warm embrace in a vineyard, while their two children are seen playing in the background. Source: Meghan/Instagram
The new montage comes as the Sussexes were revealed to have already moved Archie and Lilibet to a new school after the family relocated from the US on August 26.
The children had only just started classes in England, but they will now join another school after the lengthy journey was said to have caused issues for the security team.
A spokesman for the Sussexes said: ‘The decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements.
‘The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family.
‘This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.’
Sources close to the couple said the decision was made due to the practicalities of getting the children there and back.
Hello! magazine quoted a friend of the couple saying: ‘It’s a real shame, because they absolutely adored the school, the kids and their parents. It was perfect for them in every way and the children really enjoyed their time there.
‘They really wanted to make it work, but they had to make a difficult decision based on the fact that the team couldn’t make the school run operationally secure.’
Archie and Lilibet will now join another school in the area after visiting for a taster session on Monday.
Harry was spotted settling Lilibet into reception and the couple have been added to the parents’ WhatsApp groups, it was said.
A source close to Harry and Meghan also told People that settling the children ‘has been, and remains, their focus. Everything else will fall into place when the time is right.’
They added: ‘There is a lot to do. They have just moved halfway across the world and it’s been really busy getting the kids settled. Their focus has been on that, and will remain on that, for the time being. They are happy to be back.’
The dramatic development came as it emerged that Harry’s demand for taxpayer-funded police protection is being ‘reviewed’ now he is back in Britain.
The duke and duchess are said to have been informed that ‘a decision’ was made at a meeting last week to examine the threat to both of them.
The prince has been at loggerheads with the Home Office for years over its decision to remove his automatic right to security. Harry has long argued that he was born a prince and needs police protection when in the UK.
But he lost a series of legal battles against the Home Office which deemed he had forfeited the right to be able to call at will on taxpayer-funded protection after he quit as a frontline royal in 2020 and moved to a new life in California.
