Meghan Markle will be throwing Prince Archie a "low-key" birthday party during the Coronation, according to royal insiders.
While Prince Harry has accepted the invitation to King Charles' Coronation, Meghan has declined the offer to stay at their home in California with their two children - Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. It's now been reported that Meghan will be planning a small, intimate gathering for Archie's fourth birthday which is May 6, the same day as the coronation.
"It's going to be a low-key party at home," a source tells PEOPLE. "They'll have friends around them and Meghan's mom, Doria [Ragland]. Meghan will definitely have support that weekend."
"They are so sweet together. Archie loves Lili. He's such a sweet boy. When she's not around, he asks, 'Where's Lili?' " the source adds.
Another source issued the same sentiment and told US weekly that the Duchess is planning an intimate celebration for her eldest son. The source said: “Meghan is planning something really low-key.
"Since Harry won’t be able to attend, she just wants to do something intimate with family and a few very close friends.”
Another source told the publication, “As much as Meghan appreciates the invite to the coronation, she wouldn’t miss her son’s birthday for the world. Despite being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan is a mom first.”
“She feels very grateful to be included in such a special occasion by the royal family and is glad that Harry can go and show support on behalf of their family. But being the same day as Archie’s birthday, unfortunately, she’s just going to have to miss out on this one”, the insider further said.
On Archie's first birthday, the Duke and Duchess shared a photo of the tot sitting on Meghan's lap as the pair looked at a book as well as a candid shot of the family celebrating together.
For his second in 2021, Meghan and Harry shared a picture of their son holding a bunch of birthday balloons alongside a request to donate to Covid vaccine equity for vulnerable families around the world.
On his birthday last year the Royal Family Twitter account posted a picture of Archie as a newborn with his parents and grandmother Doria meeting the Queen and Prince Philip. The tweet read: "Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday!"
This comes after reports emerged that Prince Harry will be flying back to California almost immediately after the coronation celebrations end to get back in time for Archie's birthday.
Jennie Bond, a former royal correspondent for the BBC, told GB News: "It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that he will fly straight out after the ceremony and get back to California just about in time to celebrate late in the day with his little son, Archie, whose fourth birthday it is."
She added: "He is not going to attend the lunch afterwards, as far as we know and we're told that maybe a place will be set in case he changes his mind.
"I don't think he'll change his mind. I actually think he will head straight back to California, probably within a couple of hours of ripping off his suit or whatever he's wearing and getting into his jeans and off he goes back to California."
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