Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were planning to head back to the UK less than two months after stepping back from their senior roles to celebrate Archie’s first birthday with the Royal Family, a source has claimed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex accepted an invitation to return to the UK to spend summer with the Queen later in the Summer but the couple is now expected to remain “holed up” in their new California home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to E! News, a royal insider claimed Meghan and Harry had been planning a royal party to mark their son’s birthday but have now been forced to shelve their plans and have a much more toned down celebration.

The anonymous source said: “Plans have changed.

“I think the hope in royal circles had been that the Sussexes would return to the UK in May.

“They were also due to attend the Queen’s birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, on June 13.

“Those events are now cancelled, and Harry and Meghan are holed up in California. Archie is set to celebrate his first birthday with only his parents.”

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The source added: “The hope had been that Archie’s first birthday would somehow be marked with some members of the Royal Family.”

Instead, Meghan and Harry’s party for baby Archie “won’t be the big first birthday celebration they had been planning, with friends, family and some godparents.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex might still be able to mark the occasion with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, who also lives in Los Angeles.

But with the US Government now also urging for social distancing measures to slow the spread of the virus, baby Archie may indeed have to celebrate his birthday with just mum and dad.

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The couple rushed to Los Angeles shortly before the US and Canada agreed to shut down their border to limit travel between the two nations.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now believed to be residing in a temporary home in a gated community in Malibu as they look for their new home.

Harry and Meghan have only last week stopped being working royals and will have a year to experience life away from the royal spotlight to decide whether they want to be truly independent of the Crown.

The pair is now expected to focus their effort on the launch of a new non-profit organisation, Archwell.

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The name of the organisation was confirmed last week on The Telegraph but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to be planning to wait until plans for the future to be solidified before officially launching Archwell.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have served as patrons to several charities while still full-time working royals and are expected to expand their charitable connections as independent players.

Earlier this year, Meghan and Harry paid a visit to Stanford University to explore the possibility of future endeavours in line with education.

The Duchess of Sussex has been an outspoken supporter of female education and spoken up in support of female empowerment both as a commoner and in her role as a member of the Royal Family over the past year and a half.

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