Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in a photo posted on May 19, 2026; Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie in a photo posted on May 6, 2026.Credit : Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram (2)

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrated their 8th anniversary with their children at home in Montecito, California
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet gifted their parents handmade clay bowls and decorated poster boards for the occasion
Harry gave Meghan a bronze penguin sculpture, a nod to their engagement party where they wore matching penguin onesies

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet didn’t show up for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s anniversary empty-handed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are celebrating eight years since their wedding on Tuesday, May 19, and the couple brought their kids into the festivities at their home in Montecito, California.

In a series of videos and photos shared to Meghan’s Instagram Stories around 9:30 a.m. local time, Prince Harry, 41, carried cake with candles as they all sang “Happy Anniversary” (to the tune of “Happy Birthday”) in their kitchen; Meghan, 44, gushed over a bronze sculpture of two penguins snuggling (with the bronze a nod to the traditional gift for eight years of marriage); and the couple kissed by the cake on the kitchen island.

Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 4, got in on the fun by giving their parents several gifts.

Meghan Markle’s Instagram Stories on May 19, 2026.Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

Propped up against the table featuring the bronze penguin sculpture were two poster boards seemingly decorated by Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who turns 5 next month, to celebrate the special occasion.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex tied the knot in a classic royal wedding at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 and went on to have Archie in 2019 and Lilibet in 2021.

Another special something from Archie and Lilibet was revealed in the kissing picture of Harry and Meghan.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss in her Instagram Stories on May 19, 2026.Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

Displayed on the wooden island were two homemade clay bowls — one blue and one pink — with an envelope reading “Mama and Papa,” which is what the children call their parents.

There was one more card in store — seemingly from Harry to Meghan — which read “The One and Only” on the envelope, placed by the penguin statue. With it was a never-before-seen photo of the couple in penguin costumes at their 2017 engagement party in the U.K.

PEOPLE understands that the bronze penguin sculpture by Georgia Gerber was a gift from the Duke of Sussex to his wife in honor of their anniversary.

It was revealed in the couple’s 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan that they dressed up as penguins at their engagement party with friends after Harry proposed in September 2017.

The couple shared their happy news with close friends before the palace announced it that November. During a weekend getaway in Norfolk, everyone dressed up in animal onesies for the final night of fun.

Meghan Markle’s Instagram Stories on May 19, 2026.Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

“They were so happy and they were going to keep it quiet because it was going to be announced a few weeks later,” friend Lucy Fraser said in the docuseries. “We had a little engagement party and everyone was dressed in animal onesies. And Meg and Harry were in matching penguin onesies because penguins mate for life, and they were so sweet and we had so much fun.”

PEOPLE understands that the bronze penguin sculpture by Georgia Gerber was a gift from the Duke of Sussex to his wife in honor of their anniversary.

The spouses of eight years also celebrated with the same kind of cake served at their royal wedding.

Following their ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, the newlyweds and their 600 guests headed to the Grand Reception Room for a luncheon reception.

A highlight item on the menu was a lemon sponge cake drizzled with elderflower syrup and topped with an Amalfi lemon curd. London-based baker Clare Ptak described the flavor as “quintessentially spring and British.”

Feeling the love on her wedding anniversary, Meghan posted two carousels full of unseen photos from their nuptials earlier in the day.

Prince Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth bestowed them with the royal titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their May 2018 wedding day, and the couple became parents when Prince Archie was born one year later.

Several months after that, the couple stepped back from their royal roles in the U.K. and moved to the U.S. in early 2020.

They eventually settled in Meghan’s home state of California, where Princess Lilibet was born in 2021, and remain based there.