Photos of Prince Harry enjoying a beach day in California have just dropped

*Starts humming 'California Gurls' by Katy Perry*

Prince Harry

*Starts humming 'California Gurls' by Katy Perry*

It's been a busy few months in the lives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – between the landmark Oprah interview that launched a thousand debates, and the exciting announcement that the couple are expecting their second child together. So it only makes sense that Harry and Meghan should be wanting to spend some time kicking back over the Easter break.

And according to new pictures released by People, they're doing it in the most Californian way possible.

A photo posted by on

Yep, that really is Prince Harry in cargo shorts and a backwards baseball cap – looking every inch the cool Californian while he plays with dog Pula in the sunshine. Harry and Pula were spotted playing catch and wading into the water on Wednesday, with a source telling the US magazine that the prince slotted into his surroundings just like a local.

"He looked totally at ease," said the source. "He has a great relationship with his dog, walking it off-leash. He looked just like a Montecito local just doing his thing — very relaxed walking barefoot."

Pula, whose name means 'rain' in Setswana, the language spoken in Botswana, was adopted in 2018, shortly after Harry and Meghan tied the knot in Windsor. Botswana has special significance to the Sussexes, as it's where the couple are said to have fallen for each other in the early days of their romance.

And if Pula looks a little familiar, it's because the black Labrador made a cameo appearance alongside the couple's other rescue dog Guy (and Archie's chickens, of course) during their in-depth Oprah interview.

Wednesday's beach trip certainly wasn't Harry's first trip to the sands since relocating. The Sussex family – Archie and Guy included – were shown walking the beach together during the ITV interview that aired earlier this month.

"To have outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie and we go for walks as a family and with the dogs. You know, we go on hikes or go down to the beach, which is so close," the prince told Oprah.

We're not jealous at all.

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.