Prince Harry has celebrated his 42nd birthday with a very public reminder that, away from royal headlines and official engagements, his favourite role may simply be being Dad.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, marked her husband’s birthday on September 15 by sharing a collection of previously unseen family photos and video clips, offering a sweet glimpse into Harry’s life with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
Keeping her message short and affectionate, Meghan wrote: “He’s simply the best. Happy birthday, my love ❤️.”
Fittingly, the montage was accompanied by The Hound + The Fox’s version of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best”.
But it was the family photos that really did the talking.
One shows Harry skiing with Lilibet, while another captures the father and daughter sharing a kiss during a ride in a golf cart. In another sweet moment, Lilibet turns the camera on her dad, photographing Harry as he poses in a straw hat.
Archie gets some special time with his father too, with one image showing the pair from behind as they practise archery together.
Another particularly joyful shot shows Harry behind the wheel of an all-terrain vehicle with both children along for the ride, while the family’s black Labrador, Pula, races along behind them.
Meghan also made sure there was a little romance among the dad duties, including a black-and-white photo of herself and Harry sharing a kiss in a vineyard as Archie and Lilibet play nearby.
The pictures come shortly after the Sussex family returned to Britain following six years based in California, giving followers another glimpse of what appears to be a particularly outdoorsy new chapter for the family.
Meghan has increasingly used her Instagram account to share carefully chosen moments from the family’s life since returning to the platform in early 2025, including birthdays, anniversaries and occasional glimpses of Archie and Lilibet.
Last year, her birthday message to Harry was decidedly more cheeky. She shared a throwback photograph of him taken on his 31st birthday and captioned it: “Oh hi, Birthday Boy🔥.”
This year’s tribute, however, was less about Prince Harry the royal and more about Harry the husband and father – skiing, playing, exploring and spending time with his children.
And for a man whose life has so often played out in public, the happiest moments in Meghan’s birthday collection were refreshingly ordinary.
Images: Instagram
