CANDLES FOR ARCHIE

MEGHAN Markle described family life as “magic” as she and husband Prince Harry released a new photo of son Archie holding balloons to mark his second birthday.

But the black-and-white photo (above) failed to give royal fans a long-awaited glimpse of the toddler’s face.

In posts on their official Archewell site, the Duchess of Sussex said: “It’s magic. I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”

Harry said: “The moment you become a father everything really does change because then you start to realise, well, what is the point in bringing a new person into this world when they get to your age and it’s on fire?

“We can’t steal their future. That’s not the job we’re here for.

“I’ve always believed that hopefully we can leave the world in a better place than when we found it.”

The couple, who are expecting a daughter in coming months, said: “Bubba, Big Brother, happy birthday to you”, ending the post with a heart emoji.

In a separate post, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they were “deeply touched” by the support they had received in honour of Archie’s birthday.

The pair, who are celebrating the occasion at their new home in California, asked wellwishers to mark the day with charity donations to provide more access to COVID vaccines.

“We will not be able to truly recover until everyone, everywhere, has equal access to the vaccine,” they wrote. “And with that intention, we are inviting you to contribute whatever you can — if you have the means to do so — to bring vaccines to families in the world’s most vulnerable places.”

The couple said donations would be matched by supporting “organisations” to cover the cost of more vaccine doses.