The Duchess of Sussex turns 38 years old on August 4th next week and according to a royal source Queen Elizabeth has already made plans for how she’d like to celebrate her granddaughter-in-law’s special day.
According to the insider who spoke to The Mirror, the Queen has invited Meghan to join her at the Balmoral Estate, the royal family’s home in Scotland.
With Prince Harry and baby Archie in tow, the celebration is said to include a traditional afternoon tea with the Queen and the Queen will also have the staff prepare a special cake for the new mum’s birthday.
“The Queen and Prince Philip adore the couple and, of course, their new great-grandson Archie, and they have invited them to Balmoral for a few days,” the source revealed to the publication.
“It is a testament to Meghan that she has been given this invite.
“It’s a huge honour.”
The trip will mark Archie’s first family holiday and the family-of-three are also said to be given their own wing in the estate during their stay for added privacy.
“It’s no secret Balmoral is Her Majesty’s favourite home and that’s why this invite is so special and heartfelt,” adds the source.
The Queen and Prince Philip typically head to Balmoral between July and October, however the Queen is currently in London where on Wednesday she officially invited Boris Johnson to form a new government as UK’s 77th Prime Minister, following Theresa May’s resignation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson marks the 14th prime minister under Queen Elizabeth II’s reign – Winston Churchill was already in office when the Queen ascended to the throne in 1952.
Last year Duchess Meghan spent her first birthday as part of the royal family celebrating the union of Prince Harry’s best friend (and rumoured godfather of Archie) Charlie van Straubenzee, however showing that she was very much a part of the family, happy birthday wishes were posted on social media to mark the day.
The official Royal Family social media accounts posted a lovely photo of Meghan and the Queen writing: “Happy Birthday to HRH The Duchess of Sussex! #HappyBirthdayHRH.”
While Clarence House, the royal household of Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla posted a sweet message to their Instagram account writing: “Wishing HRH The Duchess of Sussex a very Happy Birthday,” finished with a birthday cake emoji.
And there’s no doubt Prince Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie wished Meghan a happy birthday in person, as she too attended the wedding of Charlie and Daisy with the Sussexes.
Meghan is currently on maternity leave after giving birth to her first child with Prince Harry in May, however has made intermittent appearances at events including Trooping the Colour in June to celebrate the Queen’s birthday, supporting Harry’s charity the Invictus Games Foundation at a baseball game, attended two Wimbledon matches and also walked the red carpet of the recent The Lion King premiere in London.
She is not set to return to royal duties until the British autumn, with her return likely being set for her royal tour of southern Africa.
The Sussexes announced they would be heading to Africa for a royal tour at the end of June and shared their excitement over their “first official tour as a family”.
“TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited to announce that they have been asked to carry out a tour of Southern Africa this autumn,” a post on their official Instagram begins.
“The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have requested a visit to South Africa as well as The Duke carrying out visits to Malawi and Angola. His Royal Highness will also do a short visit to Botswana en route to other countries.
“The Duke and Duchess are really looking forward to meeting so many of you on the ground and continuing to raise awareness of the high impact work local communities are doing across the Commonwealth and beyond.”
Adding: “This will be their first official tour as a family!”