JUST HOURS AGO: Meghan Markle Makes a Literal Splash in New Photos from Her 45th Birthday Celebration—But One Small Detail Has Everyone Talking!

Meghan Markle Makes a Literal Splash in New Photos from 45th Birthday Celebration

The Duchess of Sussex thanked fans for the “birthday love” with a new set of photos shared on Instagram

Meghan Markle.Credit : Meghan Markle/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

Meghan Markle turned 45 on Tuesday, Aug. 4
The Duchess of Sussex shared a new Instagram post to mark the occasion, showing two photos of her jumping into a pool while holding a bouquet of balloons
The birthday comes after a busy start to the summer, which has so far included a family getaway to Europe and a long-awaited reunion with King Charles

Meghan Markle is jumping into her 45th birthday celebrations.

The Duchess of Sussex turned 45 on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and she marked the occasion by sharing a new pair of black-and-white photos on her personal Instagram page. The first image showed Meghan, sporting a bathing suit and sunglasses, jumping into a pool while holding a bouquet of balloons. The next picture captured the next moment, as she was submerged in the water — though an arm is still outstretched and holding the balloons above.

A close source tells PEOPLE that the photos were taken by a friend during an early birthday celebration in California.

“Thank you for the birthday love! 🎈,” Meghan captioned the snaps, shared on her birthday morning.

Meghan Markle.Meghan Markle/Instagram

Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As ever, also got into the celebrations, sharing their own tribute on Instagram.

“Happy birthday to our founder, @meghan,” As ever’s page captioned a carousel of images, including a solo snap of Meghan as well as a throwback photo of the Duchess of Sussex as a young girl sporting pigtails.

“💌 Lighting No. 084 to celebrate!” they continued, nodding to the brand’s candle numbered after her Aug. 4 birth date.

Meghan typically celebrates her birthdays privately with her husband, Prince Harry, and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.

Last year, Meghan and Harry had what she lauded as one of the “top five meals of my life” at the upscale Beverly Hills eatery Funke to celebrate her 44th birthday. She sent a shoutout to chef Evan Funke on her Instagram post about her big day.

“Blowing out the candles on a beautiful 24 hours, and thanking my husband, friends and family for making it so special,” Meghan captioned a pic of her and her elaborate cake garnished with yellow hibiscus flowers.

“To those of you I don’t know, but who send love every day – thank you so much. Please know I feel it and appreciate it ❤️,” she continued. “And just to get a little foodie on you….this dinner last night at @funke_la with the culinary mastery of @evanfunke and his team is in the top five meals of my life. Extraordinary 🍝 Thank you for a standout dining experience.”

It’s been a busy summer so far for Meghan and her family. Last month, she and Prince Harry took their kids to Europe. The family spent time in Portugal, and a source told PEOPLE the destination has become a special retreat for the family.

“They love Portugal because Archie and Lilibet can simply be kids,” the source tells PEOPLE. “It’s always very low-key with beach days, playing and spending time together as a family.”

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Then, on July 10, Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lili reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, the monarch’s private country residence in Gloucestershire, England. It was only the third meeting between Harry and his father since the King’s 2024 cancer diagnosis, and the first time the monarch had visited with his grandchildren in four years.

“One of the strangenesses of the monarchy is that we are all encouraged to forget they’re human beings because they’re representatives of the institution,” royal author Catherine Mayer told PEOPLE about the reunion for an exclusive cover story. “But at its heart it is just a family—and this family has gone through extraordinary upheavals. Whatever you think of the monarchy, this is a moment most of us wanted to see happen.”

After returning to the U.S., Meghan was busy promoting Cookie Queens, the documentary that she and Prince Harry co-executive produced about the Girl Scouts’ famous cookie-selling season.

She attended a special screening in Los Angeles, where she answered questions from the crowd, including whether or not Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, had seen the film. (Not yet — however, she added with a laugh, they did already have a favorite part: “They love all the cookies that we’ve had throughout this process.”)

The following night, Meghan and Cookie Queens director Alysa Nahmias surprised a group of Girl Scouts at Camp Arnaz, in Ojai, California, to show them the film.

Olive, Celia, Alysa Nahmias and Meghan Markle attend a special screening of ‘Cookie Queens’ at Camp Arnaz in Ojai, California, on July 29, 2026.Dan Steinberg/Roadside Attractions via Getty

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Meghan’s own history with the Girl Scouts — where her mom, Doria Ragland, served as her troop leader — inspired her to get involved with Cookie Queens, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is set to hit theaters on Aug. 7.

“Alysa’s creative point of view, the edgy yet humanizing tone and tenor of the directing, and the glimpse behind-the-scenes into such a nostalgic and also modern tradition of Girl Scout Cookie season are absolutely irresistible,” she said in a March press release, when the Cookie Queens team announced the film had secured distribution.

“A celebration of girlhood and its complexities, Cookie Queens is a coming-of-age story that explores the joys, pressures and tensions woven into one of America’s most cherished rituals: Girl Scouts of the USA cookie season.”