14 adorable photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie to celebrate his third birthday

Friday is a big day for Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor as the young tot marks his third birthday.

The youngster, alongside his sister Lilibet, are being raised as private citizens instead of members of the royal family, but parents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle often share insights about the new milestones that Archie has reached or funny moments – including popping up during their video calls!

GALLERY: 16 of Archie's biggest milestones

The last photo Archie starred in was the Sussexes' Christmas card for 2021, which showed the family posing and coordinating in jeans and casual wear. It was also the first official time fans were treated to a glimpse of baby Lilibet.

Check out the best photos of Archie below...

WATCH: Prince Harry and Meghan's son Archie makes an adorable cameo appearance in their Oprah interview

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Archie appears to love his Californian surroundings, and he was snapped feeding the family's chickens in the gardens of their LA mansion. How adorable!

For his second birthday in May 2021, Harry and Meghan asked well-wishers to donate to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is working to ensure that people in all corners of the world can get equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of their wealth or circumstance.

They also released this sweet sepia photo that showed Archie playing with balloons in the family's Montecito home.

The Sussexes are notoriously private and chose to share a beautiful illustration of their family for their 2020 Christmas card, instead of a traditional photo, which showed Archie taking centre stage.

MORE: Meghan Markle reveals Archie and Lilibet's Halloween costumes - and they are SO cute

Harry and Meghan shared a special video to mark their son's first birthday on 6 May 2020. The footage, posted on Save the Children's Instagram page, showed Meghan reading one of her son's favourite books, Duck! Rabbit!

The Sussexes took part in the charity's Save the Stories campaign in the UK and the US, which helped to bring much-needed support to children who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On New Year's Eve 2019, Harry and Meghan shared a new photo of Archie with his dad during their break from royal duties. The Duke beamed as he held his nearly eight-month-old son in his arms, who was wrapped up in a Boden coat, matching booties and a bobble hat. 

MORE: Why Archie didn't appear in the Queen and Prince Philip's great-grandchildren photo

The Queen's Commonwealth Trust shared the Sussexes' family Christmas card on Twitter in December 2019. The picture shows Archie gazing adorably into the camera on his hands and knees. Meghan and Harry are in the background, posing in front of a huge Christmas tree, with beaming smiles on their faces.

The message on the couple's card read: "Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. From our family to yours." The image was taken by actress and photographer Janina Gavankar, who is friends with Meghan.

Credit: Janina Gavankar

MORE: Archie's cutest moments with his royal cousins George, Charlotte and Louis

In September 2019, Archie made his official public debut on Prince Harry and Meghan's royal tour of Africa. The then four-month-old joined his parents as they met with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at his legacy foundation in Cape Town. The royal tot looked happy and content in his mother's arms as she carried him on his first official outing, documented on Sussex Royal's Instagram stories.

MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal guide to parenting

Archie's first high-profile public outing was at the polo in July 2019. The little boy was only two months old and adorably slept for most of it!

MORE: Inside Kate Middleton's family album: see photos of George, Charlotte and Louis

Meghan cradled her newborn son to her chest while cheering Harry on at the charity polo match.

To mark Father's Day, his first as a dad, Harry's team shared this gorgeous close-up sepia shot of Archie on Instagram. The caption read: "Happy Father's Day! And wishing a very special first Father's Day to The Duke of Sussex."

Meghan marked her first US Mother's Day as a mum in May 2019 and took to Instagram to share a gorgeous candid picture of her newborn baby. The photo – which was posted on the Sussex Royal's official Instagram account – saw Meghan holding her baby boy. The candid picture even included a backdrop of Forget Me Nots – Princess Diana's favourite flower.

The caption next to the photo read: "Paying tribute to all mothers today - past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered. We honor and celebrate each and every one of you. Today is Mother's Day in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, and several countries across Europe. This is the first Mother's Day for The Duchess of Sussex."

The royal couple announced Archie's arrival on 6 May 2019, with a statement which read: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex was safely delivered of a son at 0526hrs this morning. The baby weighs 7lbs 3oz. The Duke of Sussex was present for the birth."

The statement concluded: "Her Royal Highness and the baby are both doing well."

Just two days later, after enjoying some privacy as a new family of three, both Harry and Meghan introduced little Archie to the world in a photocall held at Windsor Castle, close to the grounds of their UK home, Frogmore Cottage.

Looking lovely as ever, Meghan beamed with pride and said: "I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy." She added: "He has the sweetest temperament, he's really calm."

Harry remarked: "It's been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension. But we're both absolutely thrilled." 

During the photocall, proud dad Harry shared: "We're both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there, it's been amazing, so we just wanted to share this with everybody."

Loving life as a father, Harry explained: "It's great. Parenting is amazing. It's only been two and a half days, three days, but we're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy and be able to spend some precious times with him as he slowly, slowly starts to grow up."