The Duchess of Sussex celebrated her 43rd birthday on Sunday.

Prince Harry will have no doubt pulled out all the stops for his wife Meghan Markle as she celebrated her 43rd birthday on Sunday. Despite moving away from the royal family, the Duke of Sussex recalled one special memory of his father King Charles shared with his wife in an extract of his all-telling memoir, Spare.

In the book, Prince Harry – who turns 40 next month – opened up about his father King Charles’ close bond with Meghan, and how her birthdate shared a special connection with his “favourite person” – Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Meghan Markle celebrated her birthday on Sunday

“Towards the end of summer 2018 we went to Scotland, the Castle of Mey, to spend a few days with Pa,” Harry wrote. “The bond between Meg and Pa, always strong, grew even stronger during that weekend.

“One night, over pre-dinner cocktails, Fred Astaire playing in the background, it emerged that Meg shared a birthdate with Pa’s favorite person: Gan-Gan. August 4.”

The revelation prompted a sweet response from King Charles, who had just – weeks prior – walked Meghan down the aisle during her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.

King Charles had a sweet response when he learnt Meghan’s birthday shared a special connection

“‘Amazing,’ Pa said with a smile,” added Harry. “At the memory of Gan-Gan, and the link between her and my bride, he suddenly became buoyant, telling stories I’d never heard, essentially performing, showing off for Meg.”

Meghan’s birthday has always been a special time for the couple, only a year into their relationship, Prince Harry reportedly whisked his then-American girlfriend away to Botswana for her 36th birthday in 2017. Their trip came just weeks ahead of their engagement, with Harry proposing in the garden at his former Kensington Palace home, Nottingham Cottage.

Prince Harry and Meghan share two children together

Almost two years after they tied the knot, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020 before moving permanently to the US with their son Prince Archie. The pair bought their first home in Montecito in July 2020 and a year later, welcomed their second child, Princess Lilibet, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

On Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan appeared in a pre-recorded interview for US programme, CBS Sunday Morning, about a new initiative supporting parents of children affected by online harm.