Sussex Heartbreak: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Grand Plan RUINED Due To Coronavirus
Celebrations and festivities across the globe have been shattered as governments strictly imposed stay-at-home orders and lockdown in different communities in hopes to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Even the royals were not exempted in this situation and as a result, several occasions and gatherings were forced to be postponed --including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son's first birthday.
Archie's First Birthday Celebration Ruined
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly planned a big celebration in London to mark Archie's milestone.
While the ex-royals have settled in at a million-dollar mansion located in a secluded compound in Los Angeles, they still hoped to spend the memorable occasion with the rest of their royal family.
An insider told E! News that due to the coronavirus restrictions, Meghan, Harry and Baby Archie will not be able to fly back to the U.K and celebrate their son's first birthday with the Queen.
"The hope had been that Archie's first birthday would somehow be marked with some members of the royal family, cousins, grandparents and some godparents in the UK when they were over in the UK," the source mentioned.
No Visitors Allowed
Given the situation, it was also reported that the first time parents opted to plan a more low-key celebration in their L.A. home, but it will be just the three of them.
Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and best friend Jessica Mulroney were supposed to attend the mini gathering, but the former actress "refused to take any risks" with guests due to the pandemic.
Picnic Birthday For Baby Archie
Before the dreaded virus swept across the globe, the Sussexes planned to celebrate Archie's birthday in Balmoral estate in Scotland together with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.
The couple even asked Her Majesty to host a picnic party on the grounds since Archie enjoys being outdoors.
"Archie loves being outside, and you can already tell he's inherited [Prince] Charles' passion for nature. He gets so excited at seeing all the trees. Now that he's just walking, he's into everything - he'll often end up covered in mud!" a different source told Us Weekly.
Canceled Royal Engagements Due To COVID-19
Aside from her son's canceled birthday celebration, Meghan and Harry were set to attend the fifth Invictus Games in The Netherlands in the second week of May, as well as the Queen's birthday parade, Trooping the Colour on June 13.
Unfortunately, the two engagements were also affected by the government's advice to avoid large gatherings in line with social distancing guidelines.
As of now confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.K. have soared to more than 93,000 while fatalities have reached nearly 13,000.
According to health experts, if COVID-19 cases do not slow down in a couple of weeks, the United Kingdom could end up with Europe's worst coronavirus death rate.
The British government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, also warned the public that the death toll is expected to increase in a few weeks.
