Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Son Prince Archie Receives Royally Sweet 4th Birthday Present

A local storeowner surprised Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Prince Archie with a special present for his 4th birthday, which fell the same day as King Charles III's coronation.

By Lindsay Weinberg Jun 09, 2023 9:11 PMTags

Archie Harrison's birthday gift was truly fit for a prince.

In honor of his 4th birthday last month, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's son received a special present from a local bike shop in Montecito, Calif. Mad Dogs & Englishmen surprised the little one with a new set of wheels, with Meghan and Harry later expressing their gratitude in a letter written from their team. 

"On behalf of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex," read the note posted by the bike boutique on Instagram June 8, "please accept their sincere thanks for the thoughtful gift you sent to Prince Archie for his fourth birthday."

"The bike has brought much joy, and is most appreciated by the family," the message continued. "They asked that I convey their gratitude at the lovely surprise."

Mad Dogs owner Jennifer Blevins explained that she and co-owner Martin chose the gift for Archie, who celebrated his birthday May 6 in California with mom Meghan, while Harry was in the U.K. for King Charles III's coronation.

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Meghan Markle Through the Years

"[Martin] went and he got one of our little specialized kids' bikes—they're really nice little bikes—and he's like, ‘This one's perfect, it's got training wheels,'" she recalled to People. "And so he went and got some birthday balloons, and he got some flowers for Meghan and a birthday card, and he said, ‘OK, I'm gonna bike over and take it to their house.'"

Security greeted him at the entrance and asked if he had an invitation, to which Martin responded, "I'm just a British business in town that wanted to give Archie a gift." 

SussexRoyal/Instagram

A month later, the duo received the thank you letter from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 

"I was making a joke, I said, ‘It better be a thank you letter,' and it really was!" Jennifer said. "I wasn't expecting that. I had no idea."

Toby Melville /PA Wire

Prince Harry—who is also no stranger to bike riding—has touched on how he wants to give his kids Archie and Lilibet Diana, 2, a relatively normal childhood out of the public eye.

And as he shared at the Invictus Games last year, he ultimately wants them to "grow up in a better world," adding, "To grow up in a fairer world, a safer world, a more equal world. It's not going to be easy, but I will never, ever, ever rest until I have as a parent have tried to at least try to make the world a better place for them because it is our responsibility that the world is the way it is now."

As Archie marks a new milestone, take a peek at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's family photo album below.

December 2021: Happy Holidays

Meghan and Harry shared this Christmas card depicting them with son Archie Harrison at their California home. The boy had selected the small Christmas tree, including the homemade ornaments and other decorations, and it was also announced that the tree would be replanted after the holidays.

May 2020: Story Time

Meghan and Harry marked their son Archie Harrison's first birthday by sharing this video of the Duchess of Sussex reading to the toddler from Amy Krause Rosenthal's children's book Duck! Rabbit! The post promoted the #SaveWithStories campaign, which benefits children impacted by the the coronavirus pandemic.

December 2019: New Year's Eve

On Dec. 31, 2019, Harry and Meghan shared a montage of heartwarming family moments on their Instagram page. Included was this sweet photo of the Duke of Sussex and the couple's then-9-month-old son, Archie Harrison.

September 2019: South Africa

Meghan and Harry appear with then-4-month-old son Archie Harrison at a meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town during their royal tour of South Africa.

September 2019: Happy Family

Meghan, Harry and their then-4-month-old son Archie Harrison meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa.

September 2019: Happy Baby

Meghan and Harry appear with then-4-month-old son Archie Harrison at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa.

September 2019: Archie Steals the Show

Meghan and Harry appear with their then-4-month-old son during an official royal visit to the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa.

September 2019: Bouncing Baby

Meghan holds a bouncing then-4-month-old Archie Harrison as they and Harry meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town during the family's royal tour of South Africa.

May 2019: Meet Archie

Meghan and Harry introduce the world to their then-2-day-old son Archie Harrison at St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in England.

May 2019: Baby Joy!

Meghan and Harry appear with their then-2-day-old son Archie Harrison at St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in England.

May 2019: Sleeping Archie

Meghan and Harry's then-2-day-old son Archie Harrison sneaks in a nap as they introduce him to the world at St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in England.

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