PRINCE Charles has only met his grandson Archie twice meaning the royal family were forced to use old photos for his birthday post, according to reports.
Harry and Meghan’s son turned two this week and palace officials took to social media to celebrate the day.
A post on the Royal Family’s official Instagram and Twitter pages read: “Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 2nd birthday today.”
The photo shows the family cooing over their newborn as Meghan cradles her son.
In another gushing post, shared on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s official accounts, Wills and Kate wrote: “Wishing Archie a very happy 2nd birthday today,” followed by a balloon and cake emoji.
They posted a family snap taken on Archie’s Christening when he was just two-months old, featuring the entire family together.
Prince Charles and Camilla also shared a loving photo of the Prince of Wales with his son and grandson, writing: “Happy birthday to Archie, who turns two today”.
However photos used in all the royal post were taken just a short time after Archie’s birth.
Now sources say the reason for the lack of variety in the photos is that the Prince of Wales has only met his grandson a handful of times.
They told The Daily Mail: “The truth is the Prince of Wales has barely seen his grandson twice since he was born.
“In fact every member of Harry’s family can easily count on one hand the number of times they saw Archie after he was born and before the family left the UK.
“It’s a very sad situation.”
They also claimed that Archie may only have met his cousins – Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three – just once.
From the states, Harry and Meghan Markle shared a new picture of Archie holding balloons to mark his big birthday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted the touching snap – which they took themselves – on their Archewell website as they celebrated their son turning two from their home in California.
It came after the couple asked well-wishers for charity donations to mark the occasion.
They released a joint statement on their Archewell website today, saying they are “incredibly grateful” to those who have given money to good causes, volunteered or raised donations on behalf of their son.
The proud parents wrote: “We have been deeply touched over the past two years to feel the warmth and support for our family in honour of Archie’s birthday.
“Many of you donate to charities on his behalf and mark the occasion by giving back or doing an act of service – all through the goodness of your hearts,” they wrote.
It comes after the Duchess of Sussex revealed her husband’s special bond with their son was the inspiration behind her first children’s publication, The Bench.
The little boy has only been seen rarely during the past 12 months, but did feature in a black and white video clip released in March, showing him walking along a beach watched by his parents and the family’s pet dog, Guy.
When he made a surprise appearance in the Sussexes’ first podcast for Spotify in December, his American accent could clearly be heard as he was encouraged to say a few words for the audience.
The Sussexes’ Christmas card was decorated with a stylised image of Archie and his parents sitting in front of a Wendy house, thought to be at their Californian home, with the couple’s pet dogs.
For his first birthday Harry and Meghan released a video of their boisterous son playing up for the camera as his mother read him the popular children’s tale Duck! Rabbit!
