The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son Archie celebrated his first birthday on Wednesday 6 May and what a year it's been for the tot and his family. While the Sussexes made the decision to step back as senior royals in January 2020, their son was always set to have a different upbringing to his cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
WATCH: Meghan reads to Archie on his first birthday
READ: Archie is the spitting image of dad Prince Harry in unearthed childhood photo
In the lead-up to his arrival in 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan expressed their wishes for their child to grow up as a private citizen and chose not to give Archie a title after his birth. However, when Prince Charles becomes King, Archie will be eligible to be styled as a Prince should Harry and Meghan wish this.
While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge introduced their children publicly hours after their births, Archie made his debut when he was two days old and his christening in July 2019 was kept a private affair, with no arrival photos taken.
Archie on his first birthday. Copyright: The Duke of Sussex/@SaveChildrenUK
It remains to be seen if Archie decides to become a working member of the royal family when he's an adult, but he will move further down the line of succession as his cousins grow up and have families of their own. The tot is currently seventh-in-line behind his father Harry.
At the tender age of one, Archie has already lived in three different countries, having spent the first six months of his life in the UK, residing at Harry and Meghan's Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage. The couple then temporarily based themselves on Vancouver Island in Canada at the end of 2019, having taken a break from their royal duties to spend time with extended family. Shortly after the Sussexes officially stepped back as senior royals, it was confirmed that they had moved to Meghan's hometown, Los Angeles.
MORE: Meghan Markle's secret birth story: How Archie Harrison really came into the world
© Photo: InstagramArchie and Harry pictured in Canada in December 2019
While the Duke and Duchess are expected to return to the UK regularly, it seems likely that Archie will be educated in the US. The couple could follow the pattern of royals sending their children to a Montessori school, with many options for them in the Los Angeles area. It's believed that Meghan wants Archie to grow up aware of his US heritage and even if the couple had remained living in the UK, there were reports that they could have been considering sending their son to the American Community School, opposite Windsor Great Park in Egham, Surrey, instead of Archie attending Eton College like Harry.
Archie is likely to have more freedom than George, Charlotte, and Louis when it comes to his future career path. While his cousins are expected to be working members of the royal family, Archie could follow in Harry's footsteps by joining the armed forces or become an actor like his mother.
In comparison, the Princess Royal's children have carved out their own careers, with Peter Phillips working as a managing director at London-based sports and entertainment agency, SEL UK, and Zara Tindall is a Cheltenham racecourse director. The Duke of York's daughters also have full-time jobs - Princess Beatrice is Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at tech firm Afiniti, while Princess Eugenie is a Director at art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
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