Prince Archie Celebrates 4th Birthday As Resemblance To Harry & Meghan Only Gets Stronger

May 05, 2023 by apost team

Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially left their posts as members of the royal family, the public has been incredibly interested in how they will choose to live their lives. While we now know more about their daily goings on, the same can't be said for their two children — Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. 

However, one thing we do know is that Archie celebrated his 4th birthday on May 6, 2023. Despite choosing to keep their only son out of the public eye, the Sussexes have given the public glimpses of their firstborn on multiple occasions. From these moments, we've come to learn a few things about the young prince — notably, his adorable resemblance to both of his parents! In celebration of his 4th birthday, let's take a look at Prince Archie of Sussex's family resemblance.

Born on May 6, 2019, almost one year to the day of his parents' first wedding anniversary, Archie has been keeping eager royal fans interested in him. In his short life so far, the young prince has moved around a lot. Born in the UK, less than a year after his birth, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex formally renounced their official titles and stepped down as working royals. The young family then moved around: first to Vancouver Island for a few months before settling down in Meghan’s home state of California, moving first to Los Angeles, then Montecito, Santa Barbara for some more privacy.

Although we've barely seen much of Archie, the family resemblance he bears to both his parents has become more and more evident.

Ever since Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018, fans have adored seeing their romance flourish and their family continues to grow. The couple themselves are absolutely stunning, and their two children are adorable, making for some absolutely breathtaking family photos together. Harry and Meghan are no longer working royals, so they are enjoying a different kind of life in sunny California with their two children: Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

According to Town & Country, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated Archie’s first birthday in 2020 with a video of Megan reading her son one of his favorite stories. The couple later celebrated Archie turning 2 in May 2021 by uploading a photo of him on the website of their non-profit, Archewell. Archie was seen happily holding a bouquet of balloons. More photos over the years have also been adored by people all over the world, including those of Archie’s Christening, Meghan announcing she was pregnant with Lilibet and several other amazing moments in between.

On the day of Archie’s birth, his father, Harry, addressed the public, announcing that his wife had given birth to a "very healthy baby boy," assuring everyone that both baby and mother were well and resting. 

Just two days later, the young family made their first outing as a unit, with the newborn making his debut as the newest member of the royal family. That same day, Harry and Meghan formally announced their son's name – Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

It was a month later that the world got another glimpse of Archie after the Sussexes shared a photo of their firstborn clenching at Harry's finger. 

"Happy Father's Day! And wishing a very special first Father's Day to The Duke of Sussex!" the caption read.

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Two months after his birth, on July 6, 2019, Archie was christened in an intimate ceremony at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Private Chapel in Windsor Castle. To mark the special day, the Sussexes released two new photos of their son: one surrounded by his extended family and a second, more intimate shot with his parents. 

Unlike his cousins, the three children of William and Kate Middleton, Archie did not hold a royal title at the time. Because of a letters patent — a legal order of the monarch — from 1917, only certain people may have the title of "prince," and Archie sadly did not qualify. That was until his grandfather King Charles III became king and chose to give him and his sister Lilibet official titles.

Prior to that, Harry and Meghan were given the option to choose the subsidiary honorary title of Earl of Dumbarton for their son, although they decided not to, according to Time Magazine. The couple decided they wanted a more private life for little Archie. 

For Archie's 2nd birthday, the family celebrated quietly at their home in Montecito, California. It was also reported that Archie's grandmother, Doria Ragland, spent the day with her grandson and the Sussexes. It's well known that the royal family has many traditions, but in 2021 it was revealed that Meghan reportedly has her own birthday tradition for Archie that was taught to her by her mother. The duchess once wrote on her old blog, The Tig, about a birthday tradition that she does every year that was taught to her by Ragland. According to Elle, Meghan wrote on her blog back in 2016:

"My mum has always said that birthdays are your own personal New Year. Your own chance to make resolutions just for yourself and what you prognosticate for your year ahead."

Since Archie has spent his birthdays with his parents and grandmother in California, it's possible they passed down this tradition to him. Another tradition that Archie partook in for a previous birthday was the popular American tradition of cake-smashing, in which a baby gets their own personal cake to smash and eat on their first birthday. 

The following year, many royal family members wished Archie a happy 3rd birthday on social media. This included his aunt and uncle, the Prince and Princess of Wales. Posting a throwback picture on their Twitter account, the couple included warm birthday wishes. The official royal family Twitter account, posting on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, chimed in as well, also including a throwback picture. Since pictures of Archie are hard to come by, as his parents wish for him to stay out of the spotlight, this is not terribly surprising.

It seems that California life offers a particular sort of freedom that Harry didn't get in the royal family. There are several examples of this, including the couple's decision to send Archie to a nursery that teaches more than just traditional skills. 

In January 2022, The Mirror reported that Archie would be visiting a nursery school in Montecito. The school offers more than the traditional kinds of teachings, although they are still represented. While the school provides subjects like reading, writing and numbers, it also focuses on teaching “emotional literacy” and mindfulness, reflecting an emphasis on mental health and social skills. Unsurprisingly, little Archie seems to garner a lot less attention than he would get if he were to see an English nursery school.

Despite being one of the most famous children in the world, we don't know too much about Archie's personality or, until somewhat recently, even how he spoke. But that all changed in 2022 after the Sussex family released various media projects. 

After the first three episodes of "Harry & Meghan" were released on Dec. 8, 2022, royal fans were eager to see what the famously private couple would reveal. To our delight, the world got another chance to hear Archie speak. 

In a clip of a stunning sunset in Montecito, Meghan said to her son offscreen: "Look at that. How would you describe it, Archie?" In awe of the sky, little Archie responded, "Well it's all done, beautiful!"

How adorable! But it wasn't the first time we heard Archie's voice. The royal toddler made a short appearance in Meghan's Archetypes podcast.

In the first episode of the Sussex's Netflix series, Archie made an appearance running on a beach while dressed in warm winter layers. The final three episodes of the series dropped on Dec. 15, 2022. Netflix called the series "unprecedented," as it revealed it would span from "the early days of the couple’s courtship to the challenges and controversies that led them to feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution."

Meanwhile, the Sussexes said of the show:

“We are grateful to have the ability to share our love story through such an esteemed creative team and with the global reach of Netflix. ... We hope it helps others to heal, and to feel inspired.” 

Although it's unclear exactly how much the couple received for the docuseries, their total Netflix deal is estimated to be $100 million.

In Archie's first months, it became clear to royal watchers that he and Harry had obvious similarities, most obviously, with hints of red in Archie's hair. According to a People Magazine article from August 2019, a source had already predicted this, as they spoke of Archie's "tufts of reddish hair" even back then.

In September 2019, during Meghan and Harry’s last royal tour, Archie made his debut royal engagement in South Africa when he and his parents met Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter, Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe. With Archie smiling and being mischievous for the cameras, it's safe to say the little guy stole the show! 

At only 4 months old, it was already clear that the little tot bore a striking resemblance to his famous father. Dressed in blue-and-white striped overalls, a long-sleeved white shirt and socks, Archie sat in Meghan’s lap as his parents discussed the Archbishop and his wife's organization, The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.

A few months later, the Sussexes took to their Instagram account to post a video looking back at 2019 for the family, which featured a close shot of Archie being held by his dad in Canada. The two were pictured in front of a lake, bundled up in warm winter clothes as the doting dad smiled at baby Archie, who was sporting an adorable double pom-pom gray beanie. The facial similarities to his dad Harry were evident, notably Archie's cheeks, face shape and hair. 

But the family similarities aren't only from Harry's side — Meghan also has an influence, notably her eyes and nose. 

In fact, mere days after Archie's birth in 2019, his parents said that after being asked which one of them Archie takes after more, they were "still trying to figure that out," according to Harper's Bazaar. 

In the same interview, Harry added that "his looks are changing every single day, so who knows." Clearly, both parents have an influence, and it seems to vary which parent he resembles more as time goes on. 

Over time, Archie's resemblance to his mom has also been spotted by eagle-eyed royal fans. In the fifth episode of Harry's Apple TV series co-produced with Oprah Winfrey, "The Me You Can't See," released in May 2021, never-before-seen footage of Archie swinging on a hanging bench alongside his father revealed a resemblance to Meghan.

Twitter user Julieth posted a side-by-side comparison of a baby photo of Meghan along with Archie, and it is quite clear that the toddler has taken after his beautiful mom! She captioned her post, "Archie been looking a lot like Meghan."

Other users certainly agreed with this, with one user commenting that they "always" saw the resemblance. "I have always said that Archie looks like his mother from the first time we saw him at the photo call. He's a mini Meghan with his curly and wavy hair," they wrote. Other users also commented that Archie was Meghan's twin.

Meanwhile, another person also saw that Archie's face resembled both his parents, as they said: "I think he is changing from Harry to Meghan's faces at the moment. I can't wait to see which face will finally stick." We couldn't agree more — and only time will tell who the young prince will end up looking more like!  

Coincidentally, Archie's 4th birthday was the same day as his grandfather, King Charles III's Coronation, at Westminster Abbey. While his father, Prince Harry, attended the Coronation after much controversy, Archie, his sister Lilibet, and their mother, Meghan, stayed in California to celebrate his birthday. 

According to The Daily Mail, Prince Harry left the Coronation immediately after the service and went directly to his VIP Windsor Suite. 

"He was always determined to get back in time to spend part of Archie's birthday at home," a source told the outlet.

The insider also revealed that Harry took the earliest flight out of London before sunset, as he was "determined" to tuck his son into bed for his birthday. 

Asked about who was in attendance at Archie's birthday party, the source said that Winfrey would likely be in attendance. 

"Some of their friends are celebrities, so yes, that's likely. It will be a small, intimate gathering."

Misan Harriman, one of Meghan and Harry's friends, greeted Archie on his birthday on Instagram with a screenshot taken from the Netflix series "Harry & Meghan" where the young royal touched a photo of the late Princess Diana. 

Harriman's choice of photo was seen as a "shade" by some in the comment section, noting that it was quite odd to post a photo reminiscing Princess Diana the same day as Camilla finally took on the title of Queen. 

"I see you @misanharriman … I see the subtle (?) shade…," a user said. 

Despite this, many people have showered Archie with greetings and described the moment with his late grandmother to be "heartwarming."

"That moment was so touching. Diana Queen of hearts, happy birthday Archie!" another commented. 

"Happiest of birthdays Archie. And May the gentle soul of the true Queen continue to rest in peace. ❤️" another greeted. 

Happy 4th birthday to Prince Archie of Sussex! Who do you think the young royal looks more like — his mom or dad? Let us know, then pass this on to any other royal fans in your life so they can weigh in too!