Prince Harry has revealed he is “excited” to turn 40 this weekend and is planning a celebration with family and friends as he reflects on his “anxious” thirties marked by family feuds and his departure from the UK with wife Meghan.
The Duke of Sussex, who will reach the milestone on Sunday, plans to mark the occasion with a quiet gathering at his home with his family in Montecito.
After spending time with his wife and children Archie and Lilibet in California, Harry will head off on holiday with a group of close friends.
Talking to him BBC Ahead of her birthday, she looked back on a turbulent ten years and revealed how her two young children have given her a “new perspective on life”.
Prince Harry also vowed: ‘Whatever age I am, my mission is to keep showing up and doing good in the world.’
The Duke of Sussex, who reaches the milestone on Sunday, is set to mark the occasion with a quiet gathering at his home with his family in Montecito.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (pictured in Colombia last month) are preparing to celebrate with close friends and family at home this weekend.
Of his children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, he added: “Becoming a father to two incredibly kind and funny children has given me a new perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus on all my work.”
“Being a father is one of life’s greatest joys and has only made me more motivated and committed to making this world a better place.”
He will begin his fifth decade traveling with his inner circle in a gesture similar to his infamous trip to Las Vegas in 2012.
The duke said he was “looking forward” to turning 30 in 2014, a year after returning from his second tour of Afghanistan.
But he took advantage of his “bad time” – as he described the period after returning from war – punctuated by lethargy and panic attacks to found the Invictus Games, which have since helped thousands of ex-servicemen around the world.
Harry turned 30 just months after splitting from Cressida Bonas, before meeting Meghan Markle two years later.
This marked the start of a particularly difficult period in the prince’s life, after he decided to move with Meghan to California and leave the life of a working royal behind for good.
Prince Harry is expected to head off on holiday with some close friends (pictured in Las Vegas in 2012).
The duke said he was “looking forward” to turning 30 in 2014, a year after returning from his second tour of Afghanistan.
After returning home from his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, Harry created the Invictus Games (pictured: Harry talks to a Gurkha in Helmand in 2008)
Prince William is not expected to take part in Harry’s celebrations, in a marked difference to the Duke’s 30th birthday.
Ahead of his birthday this weekend, Harry told People magazine: “The best gift I’ve ever received is, without a doubt, my children.”
The royal rift only worsened with the couple’s Netflix series and Harry’s memoir, Spare, which made a series of allegations about mistreatment by his family, particularly his brother, Prince William.
Although he celebrated his 30th birthday with the now Prince and Princess of Wales, Harry has barely seen William in recent years.
Ahead of his birthday this weekend, Harry told People magazine: “The best gift I’ve ever received is, without a doubt, my children. I enjoy watching them grow every day and I love being their father.”
The people, who are known to be close to the Sussexes, also reported that Harry was now “focused on enjoying life” with his family “after years of self-reflection”.
His 40th birthday celebrations are likely to be a stark contrast to his 30th, when William hosted a gala party for his younger brother at Clarence House.
Thirty of his closest friends toasted Harry with cases of Highgrove champagne sent by his father Charles.
In his memoir, Harry claimed William, 42, called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive” and even accused him of pushing him into a dog bowl.
The Duke last visited the UK in May to attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark ten years since the Invictus Games, the sporting event he helped launch for wounded soldiers.
She previously returned to the UK in February to see her father, King Charles III, after he revealed his ongoing battle with an unspecified form of cancer.