meghan markle archie first birthday

Meghan Markle reads to baby Archie on first birthday - watch adorable video

It's the first time fans have seen the tot since December 2019

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
May 6, 2020

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared an adorable new photo and video of their son Archie to mark his first birthday on Wednesday.

The sweet footage, posted on Save the Children's Instagram page, shows Meghan reading one of her son's favourite books, Duck! Rabbit!, as they relax at home. While Meghan is dressed down in a blue shirt with Archie on her lap, Harry is behind the camera, capturing the family moment.

WATCH: Meghan reads Archie's favourite book

Save the Children captioned the post: "Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex reads "Duck! Rabbit!" for Archie's birthday "Duck! Rabbit!" with Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex (and Harry, The Duke of Sussex behind the camera), read to their son Archie for his 1st birthday. Happy Birthday, Archie! Thank you #DuchessMeghan for helping us to raise urgent funds for our coronavirus appeal by reading "Duck! Rabbit" by @akrfoundation, illustrated by @tlichtenheld (published by @chroniclekidsbooks)."

Harry and Meghan were taking part in the charity's Save the Stories campaign in the UK and the US, which helps bring much-needed support to children who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

LIVE UPDATES: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry release new photo of Archie on 1st birthday

MORE: Meghan Markle's secret birth story: How Archie Harrison really came into the world

In the UK, all funds raised will benefit Save the Children UK. The charity has put in place an emergency grants programme to make sure the most vulnerable families can purchase basic items and food.

In the US, #SAVEWITHSTORIES benefits Save the Children and No Kid Hungry to help make sure kids can learn and get the nutrition they need while they're out of school during this unprecedented time. The US campaign was created by Jen Garner and Amy Adams in March and is being championed by Poppy Delevingne in the UK.

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Duck! Rabbit! book, £10, Amazon

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The family-of-three celebrated the milestone birthday from their new home in Los Angeles, after moving from Vancouver Island in Canada earlier this year.

It's the first time Archie has been pictured since New Year's Eve 2019 when Harry and Meghan shared a photo of their son snuggled up in his dad's arms, wearing a bobble hat, in front of a lake in Canada. The couple stepped back from their royal duties officially on 31 March and are carving out their future roles. 

MORE: Prince William and Kate Middleton among royals to send first birthday wishes to baby Archie

The Sussexes are currently living in Los Angeles

It was revealed at the beginning of April that the Sussexes' new non-profit organisation has been named Archewell, in a touching tribute to their son.

Harry and Meghan confirmed the news to The Telegraph, adding that they would not yet be launching Archewell because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be," the Duke and Duchess told the publication in a statement.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on 6 May at the Portland Hospital in London and he made his public debut to the world in the Great Hall at Windsor Castle two days after his birth.

The royal tot is seventh-in-line to the throne behind his father, Prince Harry, and he is the Queen's eighth great-grandchild. Archie was baptised in the Queen's private chapel at Windsor Castle in July 2019, with photos released from the ceremony later that day. He is styled as Master Archie, in accordance with his parents' wishes that he grow up as a private citizen. 

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