Prince Harry to celebrate his first birthday without the Queen, here's what we know

Queen Elizabeth II peacefully passed away in Balmoral on Thursday at the age of 96. Fortunately, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in the country and the Duke of Sussex was able to reach the Scottish estate to see his grandmother, however, he couldn’t reach on time.

His birthday

After the Queen’s demise, the couple has planned to extend their stay in the country for a longer period of time and will now be returning back home at the end of the month. This is a longer stay than Her Majesty’s planned funeral on September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London. Marie Claire magazine confirmed that their stay would also include the seven-day mourning period after the funeral.

Their time in London would also cover Prince Harry’s 38th birthday – that is on September 15 – which is expected to be a low-key birthday with muted celebrations. Prince Harry’s birthday plans were never confirmed even before Her Majesty’s death, but now with the Duke’s grandmother passing away a week before his birthday, it is expected that the family will not be in a mood to celebrate.

Prince Harry’s Granny

Considering how close of a bond Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II shared, it’s an especially challenging time for the Duke. Despite his and Meghan’s turbulent relationship with The Firm, Prince Harry loved his grandmother or ‘granny’ as he called her and the Queen adored him too.

The note in the memory of his grandmother’s passing away on Archewell website on September 12, makes it clear that their relationship was deeper and stronger than anyone anticipated, reports Glamour magazine. It is also understood that the Sussex couple will be flying their children to the UK as a month-long separation will be a little too much for the 3-year-old Archie and 1-year-old Lilibet.

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