Queen wishes Prince Harry a ‘very Happy Birthday’ with nostalgic photos
The Queen has led royal tributes to the Duke of Sussex as he celebrates his 36th birthday from afar.
The monarch, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all shared a stream of nostalgic snaps as they wished Harry a “very Happy Birthday”.
It is the first birthday the duke will celebrate since renouncing his role as a senior royal last year.
Following an eventful few months, Harry is now living in California with wife Meghan and son Archie after they made the sunshine state their home just before the coronavirus lockdown began in March.
Watch: Prince Harry’s special moments
The Royal Family’s official Twitter page marked today’s occasion by posting a photo of less fractious times before so-called Megxit.
The picture of the Queen and Harry was taken during a reception at Buckingham Palace in 2017. The caption read: "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy birthday!"
On the Kensington Royal's official Instagram, William and Kate shared a picture of them taking on Harry in a running race. The caption read: "Wishing a very happy birthday to Prince Harry today!"
Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duke of Sussex today! 🎂 📸 PA
A post shared by Clarence House (@clarencehouse) on Sep 15, 2020 at 12:00am PDT
Clarence House also shared two photographs to mark the duke's birthday: one of Harry, and another of him and his father, Charles.
None of the pictures featured Meghan or the couple's son.
Harry and Meghan are likely to celebrate the duke’s birthday privately at their Santa Barbara home. Prevalent Covid-19 cases have forced many bars to shut and restaurants to close their indoor spaces in the coastal city.
The celebrity hotspot – where the couple recently bought an £11 million property – has also experienced the after-effects of California’s wildfires with falling ash and red skies reported by residents in recent days.
Wishing a very happy birthday to Prince Harry today! 🎂🎈
A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Sep 15, 2020 at 12:01am PDT
The couple announced at the start of September they had signed a deal with Netflix to create films and programmes – estimated by an industry expert to be worth more than 250 million dollars (£190 million).
They stepped down as working royals in March and the lucrative contract has enabled them to pay back the £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money used to renovate Frogmore Cottage, their UK home in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
A source has said they are no longer receiving financial support from the Prince of Wales and viewed the pay back as “another significant step in their new life”.
The couple previously took over funding for their own security when they quit as senior working royals.
