Royal family pay tribute to Archie on third birthday

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie turned three on 6 May, and the couple's oldest child has been flooded with well wishes on his birthday.

Though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have stayed quiet on social media about their son's birthday, the royal family have not, and reached out to celebrate the youngster's special day, despite reports of a family rift, especially between Prince William and Harry.

Queen Elizabeth II - who is Archie's great grandmother - reached out to wish him a happy birthday on Twitter.

The Royal Family Twitter account shared a photograph of Archie just days after he was born, which was taken by photographer Chris Allerton.

The image captures the Queen and her late husband Prince Philip looking on adoringly at Archie, who is in Meghan's arms, while Prince Harry and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, smile in the background.

The image was captioned: "Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday!"

The post has received over 15,000 likes on the social media platform, and has seen numerous fans and followers also reach out to wish Archie a happy birthday.

Prince Harry's brother, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton also reached out to their nephew with a special birthday message.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a photo taken from Archie's christening back in 2019 to accompany their post, which read: "Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today."

The image captured Prince Harry and Meghan holding Archie in the centre, with their royal relatives around them smiling.

Archie's grandparents, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla retweeted the Queen's birthday message on their account, alongside a separate message, which read: "Happy Birthday Archie!"

Harry and Meghan also have 11-month-old daughter Lilibet, who is named after Her Majesty.

The family are set to return to the UK to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, although they will not join the 96-year-old monarch on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for the celebrations. 

If they do venture from America to the UK next month, it is said to be the first time the Queen will meet her great granddaughter, who she has been desperate to meet for some time.