Inside Archie's fourth birthday at Sussexes' £11m Californian home

2023-05-07

Inside Archie’s fourth birthday at Sussexes’ £11M Californian home: How Harry rushed home to celebration with celebrity guests and Meghan’s homemade lemon cake, as she tells friends it would be ‘inauthentic to do anything else’

Archie’s fourth birthday party was held at the couple’s £11m Montecito home
Sources claimed Meghan ‘felt it would be inauthentic to do anything else’

Prince Harry spent just over 28 hours in the UK to witness his father King Charles’ Coronation before rushing back to California for his son Archie’s fourth birthday party which featured Meghan’s homemade lemon cake and celebrity guests.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, was seen slipping out of Westminster Abbey straight after the service and headed straight for Heathrow Airport, in a blacked-out electric BMW, where he was escorted to the VIP Windsor Suite.

Sources claim Meghan decided to have the celebrations at the couple’s £11million home in Montecito, California, because ‘she felt it would be inauthentic to do anything else’.

Archie had a ‘private celebration’ with a lemon cake which was baked by the Duchess of Sussex using fruit from their garden, a source close to the couple said.

The father-of-two reportedly skipped a post-coronation lunch at Buckingham Palace following the service, as sources said he was ‘always determined to get back in time to spend part of Archie’s birthday at home.’

Sources close to the Sussexes confirmed Archie (pictured) had a ‘private celebration’ on his birthday at the couple’s mansion in Montecito, California, and a lemon cake baked by the Duchess of Sussex using fruit from their garden

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, seen arriving at the Windsor Suite in a police convoy before leaving on a British Airways flight from LHR to LAX

Harry’s security drove his Range Rover an hour and a half to exclusive Private Suites hanger at LAX

Archie’s grandmother Doria Ragland is thought to have attended Archie’s birthday party, as well as Meghan’s close friend, make-up mogul Victoria Jackson, 65.

When asked if any of the party guests included celebrity neighbours such as Oprah Winfrey, a source said: ‘Some of their friends are celebrities, so yes, that’s likely. It will be a small, intimate gathering.’

Her estranged father Thomas Markle, 78, told the MoS he believed ‘it was for the best’ that the Duchess stayed at home. ‘There are too many disagreements between Meghan, Harry and the Royals,’ he added.

Mr Markle stayed up all night to watch the ceremony on TV at his home in Rosarito, Mexico. ‘It was wonderful to watch the good people of Britain welcome their new King and Queen,’ he said.

Royal fans shared birthday messages for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Archie (pictured) as he turned four

Archie is pictured with his parents and grandmother, Doria Ragland, while living at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor

The Duke of Sussex, 38, was pictured at London Heathrow beaming as he raced to board his flight while clutching his phone and some documents.

Prince Harry wasted no time in leaving his father’s coronation today, getting picked up from Westminster Abbey by a car that immediately headed out of London and was spotted at Heathrow Airport.

The King’s son was beaming as he climbed into a black vehicle immediately after the historic event this afternoon. The same car was then seen being escorted out of the capital by a police motorcade in the direction of Heathrow.

Just hours earlier, he was seen awkwardly nodding at other guests as he endured a solo walk down the aisle to take his seat next to his cousins in the third row ahead of the arrival of his father and now Queen Camilla.

During the service, as the congregation paid homage to the King, Harry was seen, along with the other royals around him, speaking the words: ‘God save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May the King live forever.’

Harry appeared to bow his head as the newly-anointed King walked past him on his way out of the abbey – although much of his true reaction was blocked by a feather on Princess Anne’s hat.

The mother-of-two apparently crafted a strawberry and cream smash cake while Prince Harry decorated their home with balloons to mark his first birthday (pictured), a source told People magazine at the time

Prince Harry seen at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of his father, King Charles III

But he returned to California after catching a British Airways flight from London Heathrow Airport within a few hours of the Coronation finishing.

His abrupt return to the US meant he did not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the finale of the day, with Buckingham Palace confirming earlier that he had no formal role at the event.

The Duke of Sussex is believed to have boarded a 3.45pm flight from Heathrow Airport which would have seen him land in Los Angeles at 6.55pm local time.

The drive to Montecito from Los Angeles airport takes about 90 minutes. The source said: ‘Harry was determined to be back in time to tuck Archie into bed.’

British Airways flight attendants confirmed that Harry had been on the flight but said they were not permitted to discuss the details of his trip.

The prince had not been seen for over 24 hours after his arrival and accommodation plans remained shrouded in secrecy – before it emerged he had flown into the UK on a commercial American Airlines flight on Friday morning.

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