How Duchess Meghan is spending her 37th birthday as a royal
Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, is celebrating her 37th birthday Saturday, her first birthday as a full-fledged member of the royal family.
Duchess Meghan will be with Prince Harry at another couple’s wedding that day.
Meghan and Harry, who wed May 19, are attending the wedding of Harry’s childhood friend Charlie Van Straubenzee, where Harry will serve as best man.
Prince William and Princess Kate are also expected to attend the wedding.
On her birthday last year, Meghan was whisked away by Harry on a romantic getaway to Africa.
The Duchess of Sussex has had a whirlwind year since that trip.
Just over three months after returning from Africa, Harry and Meghan announced to the world that they were engaged.
Meghan, a California native, moved full-time to London and toured across the United Kingdom with Harry to meet with locals and representatives of charitable causes important to Harry.
She and Harry wed at St. George's Chapel on May 19 in front of 600 guests including George Clooney, Serena Williams and Oprah Winfrey, and a worldwide audience. The couple honeymooned and then picked up right where they left off with official royal engagements.
Meghan joined Queen Elizabeth on their first trip together in June. The next month, Harry and Meghan made theirfirst official foreign trip to Ireland.
Meghan's 37th year is on track to be just as monumental.
Meghan, Harry in the United States
Later this summer, the newlyweds will make the normal royal rite of passage, a trip to see Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
"Balmoral Castle is the Queen's summer residence and it will be Meghan’s first time visiting there during the holidays," said ABC News royal contributor Omid Scobie. "There are activities planned every single day for all of the family members visiting, including outdoor picnics, hiking [and] barbecues. And what’s great about this trip is William and Kate have just returned from Mustique so they’ll be going with their kids too.”
The couple are also expected to take another trip this summer, possibly even to the U.S. privately to see Meghan’s mother and friends. It’s not expected that Meghan will spend time with her father, who lives in Mexico, after his indiscretion participating in a series of paid interviews and staged photos.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: A life in photos
Meghan Markle became a member of the British royal family after marrying Prince Harry.
In October, Harry and Meghan will go on a trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, where they will carry out their charitable goals and attend the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney.
Next spring, Meghan and Harry are scheduled to make their first tour to the United States at the request of the U.K. Foreign Office and the British government.
Charity work
Meghan is also expected to shortly announce her first charitable patronage as the fourth member of the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Markle was known for her humanitarian work prior to meeting Harry, serving as the global ambassador for World Vision and working with the United Nations on women's issues.
At a forum in February to promote the royals’ charity work, Markle indicated she wants to use her new position to promote women’s empowerment.
"[Women] need to be empowered to use [their voices] and people need to be urged to listen," she said at the February forum. "Right now with so many campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp there's no better time to continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people supporting them."
A growing family?
The next year could also be one that brings an expanded family for Meghan and Harry, currently aunt and uncle to William and Kate's three young children.
Meghan and Harry started talking about their next big milestone -- children -- in the months leading up to their wedding.
While at a royal engagement with Harry in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in March, Meghan gave a hint of what the future may hold for the young couple when they met a husband and wife team who make baby products.
Meghan pointed to the product range and said, "I'm sure at some point we'll need the whole [lot]."
Harry also alluded to children being in the couple's future in an interview last November.
"I think you know one step at a time, and hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future," he said.
