Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, celebrated their son Archie’s first birthday on Wednesday, by releasing a video of Meghan reading to him.
With Prince Harry filming and providing duck noises, Meghan reads to her smiling son, who has grown a few teeth.
The story, “Duck, Rabbit!”, is a favorite of Archie’s, a family spokesperson told NBC News. They added that the footage was taken in California, where the family is currently living under coronavirus lockdown rules.
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The video was released on the charity Save the Children’s Instagram page, in support of a campaign to support families impacted by the pandemic in both the US and UK. It aims to raise funds to provide food and educational material for children who normally rely on school for meals.
Other family members also wished Archie well.
The Royal Family’s Twitter account posted a family picture of Archie and Meghan with his great-grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and grandmother Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother.
Alongside it, a message read: “Happy Birthday to Archie Mountbatten-Windsor who is celebrating his 1st birthday today! Archie is The Queen’s eighth great-grandchild.”
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge also posted a family picture on Twitter, alongside a message which read: “Wishing Archie a very happy first birthday today!.”
Meghan and Harry moved to California earlier this year, a few months after the couple stunned the public when they announced that they intended to “step back” from the royal family, divide their time between the United Kingdom and North America and start paying their own bills.
Harry later said that the decision to step back was not one he had made lightly and that it brought him “great sadness.”
The couple have nonetheless been keeping in touch with the UK charities and organisations they support throughout the coronavirus pandemic.