Meghan Markle Made Archie a Cake for His First Birthday

(Image credit: Pool/Samir Hussein)

By Emily Dixon published 14 May 20

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made baby Archie's first birthday one to remember, even in quarantine.
Meghan made Archie his own smash cake, People reports, while Harry decorated the house with balloons.
The Sussexes also spent time chatting via Zoom with family and friends.

Archie Harrison's first birthday video was exceptionally cute, so it's little surprise that his birthday celebrations were pretty adorable too. One standout feature? A smash cake, made by Meghan Markle herself. For those who don't have babies, or babies in their family or friendship circle, or who haven't inadvertently lost several hours to reading mommy forums despite having absolutely no desire to procreate within the next decade (cough): A smash cake is a personal birthday cake made for a baby to enjoy how they please, which typically involves mashing it up with their tiny baby hands.

"Meghan made the cake—strawberries and cream," an insider told People. "And Harry helped with decorations and blew up balloons." Cute!

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Meghan, Harry, and Archie spoke to family and friends via the magic of Zoom, the insider said, adding that the big day was "really simple but incredibly joyous." Archie also spent a lot of time with his "best friends"—the family's two dogs, beagle Guy and a black Labrador whose name remains a mystery. "They make him laugh and are gentle with him," the source said.

One more thing: Happily, Meghan got to celebrate Mother's Day four days later with both her son and her mom, with Doria Ragland joining the celebrations from a safe distance, in accordance with L.A.'s social distancing rules. I'll say it again: cute!

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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.