CULTURE

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Share a Rare Photo of Master Archie on Father’s Day

Here’s how they’re celebrating their first Father’s Day as parents.


The Duke & Duchess Of Sussex Pose With Their Newborn Son
WPA Pool/Getty Images

There are probably a lot of fathers out there celebrating Father’s Day for the first time, but probably none of their sons’ births were as hotly anticipated as that of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the son of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Early Sunday morning, the official Instagram account of the royal couple, @sussexofficial, posted a rare photo of Master Archie, nestled in his father’s arms (presumably, though his face isn’t visible), looking straight at the camera with one hand curled around Harry’s finger.

“Happy Father’s Day! And wishing a very special first Father’s Day to The Duke of Sussex,” the caption read. Harry’s first Father’s Day caps off a dense series of firsts for the royal couple: The birth of their first child—Master Archie—just more than a month ago; their first family photo two days later; their first Mother’s Day as parents; and their first anniversary, on May 19. Though Harry has resumed many of his royal duties since the birth of his son, Markle has remained relatively off the radar, partaking in some light yoga and attending the annual Trooping the Colours celebration. (She is, however, planning to make a big move soon: taking their infant son to her ancestral homeland of Los Angeles.)

Mother’s Day was also the last time the royal couple deigned to share any images of their newborn son. The official royals Instagram previously posted a photo of Archie for the holiday last month, just a few days after his birth on May 6. In that image, hands—probably Markle’s—cradle Archie’s feet against a backdrop of greenery and sky. How whimsical. The caption quoted the poet Nayyirah Waheed: “my mother was my first country; the first place i ever lived.”

The Father’s Day photo had garnered nearly a million likes within an hour of its posting. Qho cares if you’re seventh in line for the throne when you’re so popular?