Meghan Markle Has a History of Planning Romantic Birthdays for Prince Harry

Stephanie Petit

15 September 2020 at 10:45 am·3-min read

Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

There's no doubt that Meghan Markle is making husband Prince Harry's birthday special this year.

Prince Harry turns 36 on Tuesday, marking his first birthday since the couple stepped back from senior royal duties and relocated to California — and Meghan will certainly find a romantic way to mark the occasion, as she has in past years.

For Harry's 35th birthday last year, Meghan recreated the trip they took to Africa when they first started dating in 2016.

"Last year, for Harry's birthday, Meghan recreated their Botswana camping adventures in their backyard," a source told PEOPLE. "It's a place that means so much to them — and to Harry in particular — so Meghan wanted to bring that happy place to him on his day so she set up a tent, got sleeping bags, cooked dinner and recreated Botswana where they fell in love."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex/Instagram Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Botswana

Harry is having “some birthday celebrations quietly with the family” in Santa Barbara, a source close to the Duke of Sussex says.

He is expected to catch up with his family, including his father Prince Charles, and brother William, 38, by phone or video chat.

Prince Harry also goes the extra mile to make Meghan's birthdays memorable. About a year into their relationship in 2017, they celebrated Meghan's 36th birthday by vacationing in Africa again.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

The insider added that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "always give each other incredibly romantic gifts," including for their wedding anniversaries.

"They love to do their own take on traditional wedding gifts," another source close to the couple told PEOPLE. "The first anniversary was paper, and Meghan wrote out the wedding speech and had it framed for him."

The source continued, "This year, they both gave each other gifts based on 'cotton.' Undoubtedly, it was a very creative and romantic gesture as all their gifts are to one another."

Toby Melville/PA Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

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Meghan and Prince Harry have much to celebrate: they just announced they signed a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce exclusive documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.

They said in a statement when the deal was announced: "Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope."

They added, "As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us, as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens. We are pleased to work with Ted and the team at Netflix whose unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action."