The royals send birthday wishes to Archie on his second birthday

The atmosphere at Buckingham Palace is still unclear following the royal reckoning the family is facing in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview earlier this year. But the crew was able to put all of that aside today in order to wish Archie the happiest of birthdays.

On May 6, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor (say that three times fast) turned two, and the Queen herself led the charge in wishing the tot a joy-filled day. Okay so technically she shared her well-wishes via the royal family’s official social media accounts, but maybe she’ll FaceTime him later. There is an eight-hour time difference between England and California, after all.

“Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 2^nd birthday today,” the Queen’s account wrote with a red balloon emoji. It also shared an official throwback photo of Meghan and Harry with their then-newborn son.

Other family members quickly followed suit. Will and Kate, who have had a busy week launching their first YouTube channel and celebrating their daughter Charlotte’s sixth birthday, shared a similar message under the official Duke and Duchess of Cambridge accounts. “Wishing Archie a very happy 2^nd birthday today,” they captioned a photo of the family taken on Archie’s christening, adding a balloon and a birthday cake emoji.

Prince Charles and Camilla also sent their well-wishes via the Clarence House accounts, adding a black-and-white photo of Grandpa Charlie with Harry and Archie at his christening. “Happy birthday to Archie, who turns two today,” shared the account.

If you’re wondering why none of the photos are more recent, well that’s in part because the family has always been selective about the imagery they share and prefer to spread official photos only. But also the family hasn’t seen Archie in a long time, ever since Meghan and Harry ditched the royal lifestyle and took up residence in California last year.

Archie’s treatment within the royal family was one of the hot topics discussed in the March Oprah interview. At the time, Meghan and Harry revealed they feared for Archie’s safety after they were told he would not be given a title, which by extension means he wouldn’t be given the same level of security as titled family members.

“There’s no explanation,” Meghan told Oprah. “The first member of colour in this family not being titled the same way other grandchildren would be[…]When you’re the grandchild of the monarch, automatically Archie would become Prince.”

This will be the last birthday Archie celebrates without a sibling. Last Valentine’s Day, Harry and Meghan revealed they are expecting a sister for their firstborn in the coming months. They made the announcement in a social media post that was an homage to Archie’s late mother, Princess Diana, who revealed she was expecting Harry on Valentine’s Day all those years ago.

As for Archie's parents, they're celebrating by asking for donations to benefit Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. "We cannot think of a more resonant way to honor our son’s birthday. 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."

Happy birthday Archie. Here’s hoping you have the happiest of days.

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