4 British royal birthday parties for the books, from Queen Elizabeth’s touching speech at Prince Charles’ 70th to William’s Africa-themed 21st and Harry’s star-studded 30th

Sep 14 , 2021

From Disney costumes to ski resort themes, find out how British royals like Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie and Prince William have celebrated their birthdays. Photos: celebbistro.com, @thernohcharity/Twitter, AFP

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, turns 37 tomorrow! The US-based British royal, who now shares two children with his well-dressed wife Meghan Markle, might have been known as an avid partygoer in the past (who could forget that time when what happened in Vegas, didn’t stay in Vegas?), but matrimony and fatherhood have seen Prince Harry celebrating big days in markedly tamer ways.

So in honour of Harry’s birthday on September 15, we’re looking back at how other royals have marked the occasion of their birth, from Prince William to Princess Eugenie.

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Harry’s ski resort-themed 30th

Prince Harry’s 30th birthday was planned by his sister-in-law, Pippa Middleton. Photo: celebbistro.com

Rolling back the clock, birthday boy Prince Harry celebrated his 30th at his father Prince Charles’ home, Clarence House. And the party planner was none other than Pippa Middleton, the celebrity event planner sister of Kate Middleton, who was reportedly unable to attend at the time because of her pregnancy and severe morning sickness.

Ellie Goulding and Prince Harry bond backstage. Photo: @thedgenz/Twitter

The 30-person guest list included Harry’s close friend, nightclub owner Guy Pelly, as well as his exes Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy, while singer Ellie Goulding provided the entertainment for the evening. Speciality cocktails, a dessert of Eton mess and champagne provided by Prince Charles went down well, we’re sure – and according to reports, the whole event was done out in a ski resort theme complete with snow machine.

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Fit for a king: Prince Charles’ 70th

Prince Charles seen with a celebratory balloon on his 70th birthday. Photo: @PureWow/Twitter

When Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, turned 70, no expense was apparently spared to throw a party fit for, well, a king! The venue was Buckingham Palace and the guest list included royalty from all over the globe – Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Rania of Jordan, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and her husband Crown Prince Frederik, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway – as well as British celebs like Jools Holland and Rod Stewart.

Three generations of royals were photographed together at Prince Charles’ 70th birthday. Photo: @PrinceHRHGeorge/Twitter

Mum Queen Elizabeth gave a memorable speech to mark the occasion: “It is a privilege for any mother to be able to propose a toast to her son on his 70th birthday. It means that you have lived long enough to see your child grow up. It is rather like – to use an analogy I am certain will find favour – planting a tree and being able to watch it grow.”

The menu reportedly included poussin with autumn vegetables, salmon tartlet and ice cream bombes for dessert.

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A Disney princess: Eugenie’s 25th birthday

Princess Eugenie’s 25th birthday bash was full of A-list celebrities. Photo: @RoyalFamily/Twitter

Held at Royal Lodge, her dad Prince Andrew’s home, Princess Eugenie’s birthday was the stuff of fairy tales – literally. Eugenie arrived dressed as Snow White, and her sister Beatrice showed up as Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Prince Harry came as none other than video game character Super Mario.

Fergie apparently wanted to keep Eugenie’s birthday party going, even until five in the morning! Photo: @DrLeonGoldstein/Twitter

The celebrations reportedly lasted for around 11 hours, and when transport arrived at the designated end time of 2am, mum Sarah Ferguson told the busses to leave, with the party running on until 5am!

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Out of Africa: Prince William’s 21st

Britain’s Prince William with a balloon given to him by a member of the public in Newport, Wales, two days before celebrating his 21st birthday in 2003. Photo: AP/PA

The royals love a good theme party, it seems and when Prince William turned 21, he carried on the tradition, throwing a bash at Windsor Castle that had an Out of Africa theme. As entertainment, a Shakarimba band was flown in from Botswana – talk about a party budget.

A photo of Aaron Barschak in front of Windsor Castle on June 21, 2003, where he allegedly gatecrashed Prince William’s birthday party later the same day. Photo: AP

A rather embarrassing security blunder make the party even more newsworthy at the time – a comedian apparently managed to slip past what should have been a strong security circle and crash the party.

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Royalty

Exes Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy both showed up at Prince Harry’s epic 30th birthday bash, organised by Pippa Middleton with live music from Ellie Goulding
Princess Eugenie’s 25th reportedly went on until 5am after Sarah Ferguson sent away the planned transport home, while a comedian famously gatecrashed Prince William’s 21st