Meghan Markle and Prince Harry plan to celebrate birthday boy Archie Mountbatten-Windsor turning one today with a ‘smash cake’ and Zoom chats with friends and family, a source told People magazine.
Earlier today Archie showed off his first teeth as he smiled at his father behind the camera while mother Meghan, 38, read him the children’s book ‘Duck! Rabbit!’ in a sweet video shared to the Save the Children Instagram account.
The sweet clip, filmed last weekend in California, was met with great excitement from royal fans, who noted how much Archie looked like Harry, 35, at the same age.
The family are currently living in a Malibu mansion with their son, having officially stepped back from royal duties at the end of March, and are said to have opted for a low-key affair for the milestone while on lockdown.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrated birthday boy Archie Mountbatten-Windsor turning one with a ‘smash cake’ and Zoom chats with friends and family, a source told People
‘They are celebrating as a family focused on Archie and being together,’ the source told the publication.
‘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.’
The ‘smash cake’ has been huge in the US for several years and has now taken off in the UK, with celebrities adopting the messy trend. Coleen Rooney celebrated her son Cass’ second birthday with a professional cake smash photo session that she uploaded to her Instagram account earlier this year.
It involves letting a one-year-old loose with a giant cake, usually while being pictured by a professional photographer, creating some cheeky and adorable shots their mothers and fathers can treasure forever.
The ‘smash cake’ trend has been huge in the US for several years and has now taken off in the UK, with Coleen Rooney celebrating her son Cass’s second birthday with a professional cake smash photo session that she uploaded to her Instagram account (above) earlier this year
Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, celebrated their son’s big day ‘as a family’ and were focused primarily on ‘being together’. They are pictured in Africa in September 2019
But babies playing with food can inevitably lead to a big mess – which is why the trend has now moved on to include the little ones having a bath after they have smashed a cake.
Royal expert Kate Nicholl previously claimed Harry and Meghan planned to treat Archie to an ‘organic, sugar-free cake’, followed by a splash around in their pool and a video call with the Cambridge children as part of his birthday celebrations.
She told OK! magazine the duchess would be keen to whip up a birthday cake for her little-one, adding that she ‘loves being creative in the kitchen’.
But far from a sweet and sugary treat for Archie, the royal expert said it would likely be ‘organic’, ‘possibly sugar-free’ and ‘suitably healthy’ for the family.
Royal fans noted how much baby Archie looks like his father Prince Harry at the same age (seen right) in the new video
The expert also said that despite recent tensions between the families, the Sussexes would video-call the Cambridges so that the cousins could see each other on the big day.
But while Archie may not be able to enjoy any playdates with friends and family in the Los Angeles region due to the coronavirus lockdown, Katie said he had become ‘best friends’ with the family’s pet dogs.
Speaking of Prince Harry and Meghan’s beagle Guy and labrador Oz, the royal expert said they had been ‘the family’s saving grace’.
She explained that they are ‘very good’ with Archie and he has become ‘very used to them’.
Proud mother Meghan is seen holding the book with one hand and sitting with the other wrapped around her smiling son
Meanwhile the royal expert also said it was unlikely the little royal would be showered with gifts on the big day, saying that he ‘has everything he needs’.
She added that the couple would likely appreciate presents ‘with meaning’, such as donations to children’s charities.
The video of Meghan reading Archie a story was part of a celebrity-backed fundraising campaign launched in the US by Hollywood star Jennifer Garner, who is friends with Meghan.
It came after the Queen led senior royals including Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in wishing Archie a happy first birthday on Instagram.