FROM jet-setting around the world to playdates with the rich and famous, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor lives a glam LA life.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son turns three today – and is likely to celebrate the birthday at his parents’ £11million mansion.
While it’s unclear just how he will spend his day, the royal toddler’s life is a far cry from any ordinary Brit – or even what his life would have been like in the Royal Family.
Archie, who moved to the US with his parents shortly before his first birthday, now has seven acres of land to play in and shares his neighbourhood of Montecito, California, with a host of celebs.
From nursery to the toddler’s latest “why phase”, here’s everything we know about Archie’s LA life as he turns three.
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A-List playdates
Archie doesn’t have far to go for an A List playdate in Montecito, with parents Meghan and Harry surrounded by celeb pals in the area.
Among the family’s famous friends are Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry, who welcomed their daughter Daisy Dove in August 2020.
Harry previously told how he had been bonding with the couple, who live “just down the road”.
Meghan’s close friend Serena Williams lives slightly further afield, although her daughter Alexis Ohanian is just one year older than Archie – and could swing by on future visits with her mum.
Other celebrity pals in LA include James Corden and the comedian’s kids Carey, Max and Charlotte, along with George and Amal Clooney.
Jet-setting tot
He may only be three but Archie has already racked up a number of stamps on his passport.
The little one started clocking up air miles when Meghan and Harry whizzed him off to Ibiza in August 2019.
The summer mini break for Meghan’s birthday was followed by a two-day getaway in Nice, South of France, where Archie was spotted being cradled by his mum.
Since then, Archie has flown around the world.
He’s up and moved to Canada, accompanied his parents on a ten-day royal tour of Africa and set up a new life in the US.
Starting nursery
It was recently revealed Archie had started attending nursery, with dad Harry using the school day to take time out for his own mental health.
But while many celebs in the Montecito area send their kids to the All Saints by the Sea Episcopal School, the Sussexes reportedly chose a less traditional classroom for their son.
In January, The Mirror told how Meghan was spotted dropping Archie at a nursery which teaches “emotional literacy”, mindfulness as well as how to be kind and look after the environment.
But parents at the school say their kids “don’t know” Meghan and Harry are royalty.
A parent of one of Archie’s classmates told the Mirror: “Harry often drops Archie off and picks him up, and seems like a good dad.
“All the parents have been laid back in welcoming Harry and Meghan, without making a fuss.
“And to the other kids, Archie is just one of them.
“They don’t know his parents are royalty, and probably wouldn’t care – unless Meghan was a Disney princess.”
Archie’s ambitions
Speaking at the Invictus Games last month, Prince Harry revealed he has already started discussing what Archie wants to be when he grows up.
The proud dad said his son wants to be an astronaut “or Kwazii from Octonauts” cartoon – a daredevil cat with a pirate past.
He said the tot has also shown interest in becoming a pilot – going on to joke that he “obviously” means a helicopter pilot.
In an impassioned speech to a packed-out stadium in The Hague, Netherlands, he said: “When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot – a helicopter pilot obviously. Or Kwazii from Octonauts.
“If you’re laughing then you’ve seen that.”
Archie’s down time
As well as unwinding in front of Octonauts, Harry and Meghan have told how they get their kids out and about as much as possible.
Archie now has seven acres of land to roam around in, with up to 15 nearby trails in the area for family walks.
During Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah last year, viewers were also shown around their huge garden – complete with “Archie’s Chick Inn” – a chicken coup for the family’s rescue chicken.
Meghan told Oprah at the time: “This kind of stuff is so basic, but it’s really fulfilling and about getting back to basics.”
Harry added: “To have outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie, we can go for walks as a family and with the dogs.
“We can go for hikes or go down to the beach which is so close.
“All of these things, I guess the highlight for me is sticking him on the back of a bicycle in his little baby seat and taking him on a bike ride which is something I was never able to do when I was young.”
Archie’s ‘why phase’
Like many three-year-olds, Archie is said to be going through a “why phase”, with dad Harry sharing how is son is eager to question everything around him.
He told NBC last month: “And suddenly as a parent, especially now, Archie is at the age he is at, asking all the questions.
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“Why this? Why that? Why that? And instead of just trying to move it on, I give him the most honest answer I can,’ he said. ‘And then it goes on and on and on until he’s satisfied.
“And then that’s it. It’s done. Otherwise it ends up with – because the world is round and that it is the way life is.”
