Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have marked their eighth wedding anniversary with a touching private celebration held with their children, Archie and Lilibet, at the family’s sprawling home in California—thousands of miles away from the Windsor church where the couple tied the knot in 2018.
Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, who relocated to Montecito, CA, in 2020 after stepping away from their roles as working members of the British family, looked back fondly on their happy day during the sweet at-home celebration, during which the Duke of Sussex presented his wife with a touching reminder of the early days of their relationship.
Sharing a series of videos and photos from their anniversary on her Instagram Stories, Meghan began with a clip of her husband and their kids singing “Happy Anniversary to Mama” to the tune of “Happy Birthday,” while presenting her with a cake topped with several candles.
Archie, 7, and Lili, 4, could both be heard singing along in the background, as their father walked toward Meghan with the cake, with the duo’s elegantly decorated Mediterranean-inspired kitchen serving as the backdrop for their impromptu party.
As their kids chanted “blow them, blow them,” Harry and Meghan enjoyed a sweet embrace, before finally blowing out the candles on the lemon elderflower dessert.
The video then cut to a clip of Harry presenting Meghan with a very special gift: a wooden statue that shows two penguins embracing, the origins of which the Duchess of Sussex then revealed to their children.
“What! Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed while unveiling the gift, before turning to her kids and explaining: “Mama and Papa, when we got engaged, we had a party with all of our friends, and we said, ‘Everyone wear an animal onesie.’ And we wore penguins.”
Holding up a picture of the duo in their animal costumes, Meghan added: “We were penguins because they’re together for life.”
She then shared a photo of herself and Harry sharing a kiss while cutting into the anniversary cake, with a card addressed to “Mama and Papa” seen on the countertop in front of them.
Her final posts featured a close up video of her gift placed alongside the photo of herself and Harry in their penguin onesies, as well as a card addressed to “The One and Only,” and a picture of the photo in which the duo proudly modeled their costumes.
The videos and images revealed a very brief glimpse inside the home that the couple has built for themselves in the exclusive Santa Barbara enclave, offering a sneak peek inside the elegantly decorated entryway, where Harry positioned the penguin statue.
His gift was perched on a large octagonal table in the foyer, which has been accessorized with a large planter filled with orchids, another, smaller floral arrangement, several coffee table books, a candle—and a large drawing that appears to have been done by one of the kids.
Their kitchen, meanwhile, boasts wooden cupboards, white marble countertops, and elegant blue-and-white tiling on the walls. The stove is nestled in an enormous stone alcove, while above the large center island, the duo has hung a collection of copper pots and pans.
Meghan’s posts also serve as a stark reminder of just how much has changed in the couple’s lives since their wedding.
Two years after that highly-publicized event, which took place at St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018, the couple sensationally announced that they were quitting their roles as senior working members of the royal family in order to relocate to California with their son, Archie, who was just 11 months old at the time.
After spending some time vacationing in Canada, the duo laid down roots in Montecito, where they purchased a Mediterranean-style mansion for $14.65 million in June of that year.
Meghan later revealed in a 2022 interview with The Cut that the couple had stumbled across the dwelling online—and initially feared they would not be able to afford it.
“We were looking in this area and this house kept popping up online in searches,” she said. “We didn’t have jobs, so we were just not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible.
“It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping—it’s like, ‘I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford—that doesn’t feel good.'”
However, her fascination with the nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom estate won out and they went to view the home in person—with Meghan revealing that they fell in love with it before even setting foot inside.
“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” she recalled. “We did everything we could to get this house.”
The property has served as their primary residence ever since—and is now believed to be their only home after they were asked in early 2023 to vacate Frogmore Cottage, the U.K. property that they had been using during their visits there.
Harry and Meghan have never publicly stated why they chose Montecito as their home base when they relocated from the U.K. to California in 2020; however, a spokesperson for the couple previously hinted that they were hoping to enjoy ample peace and privacy in their new neighborhood.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year,” the spokesperson said in a 2020 statement shared soon after their move. “They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as them for a family.”
A source later told Vogue that Harry and Meghan had known for some time that they wanted to find a home in California, but that they zeroed in on Santa Barbara because it offered so much more privacy than Los Angeles.
“Harry loves California, but they were both drawn to the smaller town of Santa Barbara, where they can integrate into the community while having some distance and privacy that is hard to come by in the Los Angeles area. For that reason, they had never intended to stay in Los Angeles,” the insider said.
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