Meghan Markle Rings In 42nd Birthday Following Revealing Yet Accomplished Year

Aug 04, 2023

Every so often, the public is treated to an inside view of the private life of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The royal couple stays relatively quiet outside of curated press releases and rare public appearances. Although the Duchess of Sussex was somewhat used to the spotlight as a former actress, being reintroduced as a member of the British royal family was extremely different and very difficult.

However, after Meghan and Harry announced their royal departure in 2020 and acted on that the following year, the family unit has stayed very strong and has even grown in size. Meghan and Harry are proud parents of two: Archie Mountbatten-Winsdor and Lilibet “Lili” Mountbatten-Windsor. They currently reside in Montecito, California.

Mere days after giving birth to their daughter, the Duchess of Sussex released her very first children's book titled "The Bench." The story began as a poem that Meghan wrote to Harry one Father's Day before it was turned into a book with gorgeous illustrations by Christian Robinson. Released in June 2021, it didn't take long for "The Bench" to become a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, proving that Meghan’s talents lie in much more than just acting.

The mom of two spent her 40th birthday with a launch of the women’s work initiative 40x40. She celebrated her 41st birthday privately with family and close friends.

And on Aug. 4, 2023, Meghan celebrated her 42nd birthday after another year of accomplishments. Read on to learn more about the Duchess of Sussex and her impact on the world.

The year 2018 saw Meghan celebrate her first birthday as a member of the royal family. According to Vogue, Meghan and Harry attended the wedding of Harry’s childhood friend Charlie van Straubenzee. Meghan showed off her “refined and polished” style as she celebrated the newlyweds on the same day as her 37th birthday.

In the years that followed, Meghan continued to make an impact on the world. The years 2020 and 2021 were very eventful for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry and Meghan disentangled further from the royal family and truly began living their newfound independent lives. In March 2021, they released their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, which bared all about their time as working royals and revealed the mistreatment Meghan received.

Then came Harry’s television series with Winfrey, "The Me You Can't See," which took an open approach to mental health. After the birth of Lilibet in June 2021, Meghan had her media release with "The Bench." After hitting the No. 1 New York Times bestseller list, Meghan personally thanked her fans via the couple's Archewell website. 

While Meghan also had a Netflix series with the working title “Pearl” in the works, Deadline reported that it was canceled in 2022.

However, for her big 40th birthday, Meghan revealed another project, as the mom was just refusing to slow down. Meghan filmed a home video with actress Melissa McCarthy, in which McCarthy came up with several outrageous ideas on how Meghan could celebrate her 40th birthday and jokingly suggested a "Suits" reunion, as well as a yacht party. After McCarthy’s antics, Meghan revealed that she celebrated her 40th by launching the 40x40 project. 

In the video, Meghan said many women were “shouldering the brunt of the crisis” of the pandemic regarding “unpaid labor, including schooling and caring for family members.” Meghan chose to team up with 40 "friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders," to kick off a global effort for people to offer 40 minutes of mentorship to women reentering the workforce. 

Meghan said:

"With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well.”

While she took the initiative seriously, Meghan’s husband proved to still have some silly antics up his sleeves. Town & Country reported that Harry showed off his juggling skills in the video prior to Meghan’s informative speech about the 40x40 project.

For Meghan’s 41st birthday, she celebrated with “family and close friends,” according to Elle. Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, as well as King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla wished the Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday on their respective social media platforms.

PEOPLE reported that August 4th was already an important day in the royal family’s life before Meghan as it was the birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s mother — the Queen Mother. Although Meghan only knew Elizabeth for a few years, they seemingly shared a special bond as the queen, at times, reminded Meghan of her own grandmother. Meghan once told Winfrey:

"The queen has always been wonderful to me. I've loved being in her company. She's always been warm, welcoming, and inviting."

Despite being a busy woman, Meghan has seemed to always make time for her beautiful family. Body language expert Judi James spoke about the similarities between Meghan and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, regarding the Sussex family’s holiday photo from 2021. “The body language that Meghan uses with her baby here is an almost direct and perfect copy of a pose adopted by Diana with her own baby many years before,” James said, as per Express.

James added, “Both women define themselves as loving, doting mothers with this pose and both allow their babies to be seen in a playful mood as they laugh and smile down at them … The joy and delight on both women’s faces is tangible and it is also mirrored by their children’s facial expressions.”

On her Archewell website, Meghan has continued to update her followers on important events, including International Women’s Day, Mental Health Awareness Month and the recipients of the Diana Award.

In August 2022, Meghan debuted her podcast, “Archetypes,” which featured interviews with celebrities, historians and experts about the typical stereotypes that are used against women. However, the podcast was canceled the following year.

In December 2022, Harry and Meghan released a Netflix documentary series appropriately titled “Harry & Meghan.” The series highlighted their relationship over the years up to their royal departure, as well as interviews from historians, journalists and the couple’s family and friends.

The Duchess of Sussex has left a wonderful impact on the world already, and she still has so much more to offer. We can’t wait to see what year 42 brings Meghan and her family!

What do you think about Meghan Markle’s efforts to help others? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends, too.