Prince Archie will spend his fourth birthday in California with mom Meghan Markle and sister Princess Lilibet, while dad Prince Harry will be in London for the coronation
Prince Archie will be ringing in his 4th birthday stateside.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son celebrates his birthday on May 6, the same day as the historic coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla. Buckingham Palace confirmed Wednesday that the Duke of Sussex, 38, will attend the crowning ceremony in London while Meghan remains in California with Archie and Princess Lilibet.
PEOPLE understands that the Duchess of Sussex, 41, will spend the weekend celebrating Archie’s big day with her two children.
Here’s a look back at how Archie and his family have celebrated his past birthdays.
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on May 6, 2019, in London. For his first birthday in 2020, his proud parents shared a sweet video of their son reading the picture book Duck! Rabbit! on Meghan’s lap. The clip was shared in partnership with Save the Children’s #SaveWithStories campaign, launched to help kids adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The video was filmed from Los Angeles, where Harry and Meghan relocated after stepping back from their royal roles in January 2020.
Prince Archie was captivated as his mom read the text and adorably chatted to “Dada” behind the camera when they reached the last page. “Yay! The end! Woo! Bravo!” Prince Harry said. “Da, da, da, da, da,” his son replied with a smile.
Archie’s first birthday came a few months after the COVID-19 pandemic began. A source told PEOPLE the family marked the milestone in accordance with social isolation guidelines.
“They are celebrating as a family focused on Archie and being together,” a source told PEOPLE at the time. “They’ll have a smash cake and Zooms with family and friends. It’s been beautiful weather, so perhaps a family stroll with the dogs.”
Fans got a glimpse of the festivities in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, which showed Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland in attendance and Archie wearing a yellow party hat.
In honor of Archie’s second birthday in 2021, Meghan and Harry shared a new photo of their son on their Archewell Foundation website. The sepia image showed the little prince holding a bouquet of birthday balloons and came with a request for fans to donate to COVID vaccine equity for vulnerable families around the world.
“We cannot think of a more resonant way to honor our son’s birthday,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a message. “If we all show up, with compassion for those we both know and don’t know, we can have a profound impact. Even a small contribution can have a ripple effect. Together, we can uplift, protect, and care for one another.”
The birthday was also significant for another special reason — Archie’s last as an only child! His little sister Princess Lilibet was born that June in California, and the family of three became four.
While Prince Harry and Meghan didn’t share any updates on Archie’s third birthday in May 2022, the little prince received well-wishes from his family in the U.K. on social media.
“Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday!” the Royal Family tweeted on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, along with a poignant photo of Archie meeting his great-grandmother and great-grandfather Prince Philip in 2019. Kate Middleton and Prince William also shared a family photo to mark the milestone.
