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Meghan Markle is celebrating her 45th birthday today in playful style. The Duchess of Sussex shared two black and white photographs on Instagram of herself jumping into a pool with a bunch of balloons. “Thank you for the birthday love,” she wrote, adding a balloon emoji.
In July, Meghan shared snaps from her family’s vacation to Portugal and the UK (including a visit to Princess Diana’s childhood home, Althorp), where she appeared to be wearing the same bathing suit as she did in today’s birthday post, a black square-neck one-piece from Hunza G.
Her brand, As Ever, also celebrated her birthday with a series of photos on its account, writing, “Happy birthday to our founder, @meghan 💌 Lighting No. 084 to celebrate!” (As Ever’s “Signature Candle No. 084” is named for her birthday, August 4, and features notes of fresh water lotus, earthy sandalwood, and California poppy.)
Meghan is not the only royal woman with an August 4 birthday: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, also celebrated her birthday on the 4th—and this fact reportedly delighted King Charles when he discovered the coincidence during a summer vacation eight years ago, according to Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare.
“Towards the end of summer 2018 we went to Scotland, the Castle of Mey, to spend a few days with Pa,” Prince Harry shared of the moment in Spare. “The bond between Meg and Pa, always strong, grew even stronger during that weekend. One night, over pre-dinner cocktails, Fred Astaire playing in the background, it emerged that Meg shared a birthdate with Pa’s favorite person: Gan-Gan. August 4. Amazing, Pa said with a smile. At the memory of Gan-Gan, and the link between her and my bride, he suddenly became buoyant, telling stories I’d never heard, essentially performing, showing off for Meg.” Since the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, Charles has spent the first week in August at the Castle of Mey before heading to Balmoral.
In July, King Charles saw Prince Harry, Meghan, and their two children during a private family visit at Highgrove.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.