Home sweet house party! Prince Harry planned a low-key celebration for his wife Meghan Markle’s 39th birthday at their Los Angeles residence, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and the couple’s 14-month-old son, Archie, were both in attendance.
“They spent the day as a family and in the evening Doria looked after Archie so that Meghan and Harry could enjoy some couple time,” the insider said of the Tuesday, August 4, festivities. “Harry cooked Meghan a three-course dinner, but Doria helped him with the preparation.”
The source adds: “While Harry has become a better cook since marrying Meghan, he still has a long way to go!”
The former military pilot, 35, “organized a huge chocolate birthday cake, covered in icing sugar and balloons” to make sure Meghan’s big day was one to remember.
When it came to her present, Harry went for something both unique and sentimental.
“He wanted the gift to be personal, so he surprised Meghan with a necklace that he designed,” the insider tells Us. “And a framed photograph of the two of them, which he took himself.”
For her part, the California native “wanted to keep it small and intimate” this year, but the source says Meghan plans to throw a “big, glamourous birthday party with all her friends for her 40th next year.”
While the family honored Meghan in L.A., some of her royal relatives sent well wishes from England to commemorate the milestone.
“🎈Wishing The Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday!” the royal family’s official Instagram account wrote alongside a photo of the queen and Suits alum in 2018.
Luminary Bakery in London also celebrated the occasion by auctioning off a cake in her name. The treat was very similar to the cake the bakery created for Meghan’s birthday in August 2019, but instead of carrot cake it was “lemon celebration cake.”
The confections décor of fresh fruit and frosting closely resembled the sweet treat the actress enjoyed at Frogmore Cottage last year.
The best part was that the money from those who entered for a chance to win the dessert went to the business’ mission to empower women. By donating £10 (about $13 USD) women who are homeless, coming out of prison, were victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, are given the tools to learn to bake and find employment.
