Prince Archie is adorable in striped PJs as Meghan shares birthday picture of 'sweet boy' for first time in years

Ever since the Duchess of Sussex joined Instagram back in January, we’ve been treated to more personal family pictures than ever before. This includes rare snaps of her and Prince Harry’s children and so I was holding out hope that Prince Archie’s sixth birthday wouldn’t go un-mentioned online this year.

I was proved right and much to my delight, Meghan has now shared the first official birthday photo of the Sussexes's son since 2021. It shows the young Prince standing on a balcony in a pair of cosy, striped pyjamas, gazing out at a beautiful sunset over the sea.

It’s a mesmerising picture of a precious, private moment and the Duchess described Archie as, "Our son. Our sun" in the caption.

The proud mum added, "Thank you for all of the love, prayers, and warm wishes for our sweet boy. He’s six! Where did the time go?"

Duchess Meghan also revealed that the family celebrated Prince Archie’s birthday a little early this year. Perhaps because he is now at school, they chose the weekend before to throw a party and the Duchess thanked everyone who came for "making his birthday so incredibly special".

The six-year-old’s birthday falls just a few days after his cousin Princess Charlotte’s and it’s likely that she was celebrating turning 10 across the pond that same weekend.

She didn’t name who attended the party, but just a few days ago Meghan posted another picture that could possibly have been taken on the day.

This one was black and white and showed Prince Harry walking hand-in-hand with his son in the garden as three-year-old Princess Lilibet sat on his shoulders. Both of these snaps are so heart-warming and I find the birthday photo particularly surprising.

Although Meghan and Harry remain committed to not showing their children’s faces online, this shot of little Archie enjoying this magnificent sea view in his pyjamas is still incredibly personal.

It marks a change in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s approach to sharing some aspects of their family life, which I’ve already noticed on Meghan’s Instagram.

The new birthday snap of Prince Archie is still very different from Princess Charlotte’s tenth birthday picture this month, but it pays tribute to the occasion perfectly, in a way that works for the Sussex family as private individuals.

The Prince’s birthday falls on the second anniversary of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation. Prince Harry attended the televised ceremony in London back in 2023, before flying back to Los Angeles and this year he will reportedly miss part of Archie’s big day too.

The Duke of Sussex is set to travel to Las Vegas to launch a new Pledge to Invest initiative with The Diana Award, which was established by him and Prince William in their mother’s memory. He will allegedly meet with two young recipients of The Legacy Award and take part in a panel discussion.

Prince Harry’s commitment to this visit could potentially be another reason the family celebrated Archie’s birthday over the weekend. Either way, they will likely have explained everything to Prince Archie and the memory of Princess Diana is very much kept alive in their household.

Speaking in his and Oprah Winfrey’s docuseries, The Me You Can't See, in 2021 Prince Harry revealed that alongside "Mama" and "Papa", one of his son’s first words was "grandma" after his grandmother Diana.