Meghan Markle marks 45th birthday with pool plunge photo
The Duchess of Sussex celebrated her 45th birthday with a series of playful social media posts while her lifestyle brand, As Ever, marked the occasion with a tribute to its founder amid its latest product launches.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has marked her 45th birthday by sharing playful photographs of herself leaping into a swimming pool clutching balloons.
Thanking supporters “for the birthday love” as her lifestyle brand, As Ever, joined the celebrations with a tribute to its founder, Meghan, 45, posted two black-and-white images on Instagram on Tuesday (04.08.26) showing herself in a swimsuit, sunglasses and a ponytail jumping into an outdoor pool while holding a large bunch of balloons.
The Duchess of Sussex captioned the post simply: “Thank you for the birthday love!”
As Ever simultaneously shared its own birthday message, posting a recent portrait of Meghan alongside a childhood photograph and referencing the brand’s Signature Candle No. 084 – named after her birth date.
The celebrations come as Meghan continues to expand As Ever’s product range with the launch of a new blackberry fruit spread and ahead of the theatrical release of Cookie Queens, the Girl Scouts documentary she executive produced with Prince Harry, 41, through Archewell Productions.
As Ever wrote in its birthday message to the brand’s founder: “Happy birthday to our founder, @meghan. Lighting No. 084 to celebrate!”
The accompanying images included a throwback photograph of Meghan as a child, while another showed products from the As Ever collection arranged around the commemorative candle.
The birthday posts follow another busy week for Meghan’s lifestyle brand.
Days before her milestone birthday, she shared a video preparing what she described as her favourite ice cream sundae using As Ever raspberry spread, before unveiling a blackberry fruit spread described by the company as “our newest pantry favourite”.
As Ever said: “Made with beautifully ripe blackberries for a rich, vibrant flavour that brings a little taste of the season to your table.”
The promotional videos also drew attention to Meghan’s jewellery collection.
She wore her Welsh gold wedding ring, a large pear-shaped diamond ring on her right hand and Princess Diana’s Cartier Tank Française watch.
Royal watchers also noted that her engagement ring, originally designed by Cleave and Company following Prince Harry’s 2017 proposal, was once again absent.
The ring, which incorporates diamonds from one of Diana’s bracelets alongside a centre stone sourced from Botswana, has undergone several redesigns since the couple announced their engagement.
It has previously been resized and reset, while later public appearances prompted speculation that further alterations had been made.
Jewellery expert Trang Do previously told the Daily Mail “wearing a significant ring on the right hand often symbolises independence, self-love, and personal power”.
Trang added: “Many clients today are choosing to refresh their rings to mark milestones, whether an anniversary, a personal achievement or a new chapter, rather than waiting for a traditional proposal moment.”
Meghan, who rose to international prominence as Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits, has increasingly focused on lifestyle and media ventures since stepping back from royal duties with Harry in 2020.
Earlier this year she released the second season of her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, while As Ever has continued expanding beyond preserves into homewares, candles and seasonal food products.
The Duchess also recently appeared at a screening of Cookie Queens, wearing an Oura smart ring, while speaking about how the documentary rekindled memories of her own childhood as a Girl Scout led by her mother, Doria Ragland.
Reflecting on the project, Meghan said it reminded her of “the importance of showcasing strong role models” for young girls, linking the documentary to her experiences raising her children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
