Why Meghan Markle's Birthday Is a Special Day for Prince William

There's a third reason why Aug. 4 is highlighted on the royal calendar

Meghan Markle was born on Aug. 4 — a date that was already circled on the royal calendar for Prince William.

The Duchess of Sussex turned 42 on Friday and is expected to mark the milestone privately following a date night with Prince Harry in California earlier this week. Before she married Harry in 2018, Aug. 4 was already a significant day in royal history as Prince William’s christening day.

Forty-one years ago in 1982, an infant Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, his royal bio states. The little prince was just six weeks old and the occasion was commemorated with official portraits.

Princess Diana lovingly held her baby son as dad (then known asPrince Charles), grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother all watched on. The tradition of taking a family portrait after royal christenings continued when Prince Harry was born and baptized in 1984. Decades later, similar shots would be taken when William’s kids with wife Kate Middleton— Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — were christened.

Related: Prince Harry Reveals Meghan Markle's Birthday Connection with Another Royal That Charmed King Charles

Before he was christened, Prince William’s baptism day was already marked on the royal calendar for a festive reason — the Queen Mother’s birthday! Queen Elizabeth’s mother was born on Aug. 4, 1900 and died at age 101 in March 2002.

In his memoir Spare, released in January, Prince Harry shared the sweet story of when his father, who is now known as King Charles, realized Meghan was born on the same day as his beloved grandmother.

According to the text, Prince Harry, 38, said the connection came up when he and Meghan visited Charles in Scotland at the Castle of Mey during the summer of 2018.

“The bond between Meg and Pa, always strong, grew even stronger during that weekend. One night, over pre-dinner cocktails, Fred Astaire playing in the background, it emerged that Meg shared a birthdate with Pa’s favorite person: Gan-Gan,” Harry wrote in Spare, referring to his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.

“ ’Amazing,’ Pa said with a smile,” he added of his dad’s reaction.

Related: Why Prince William and Prince Harry Are Both Heading to Singapore Soon

“At the memory of Gan-Gan, and the link between her and my bride, he suddenly became buoyant, telling stories I’d never heard, essentially performing, showing off for her,” Prince Harry wrote in Spare.

Meghan’s special day will likely be highlighted by family time with her husband and their kids, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2. In what was perhaps an early celebration, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were spotted getting dinner at Tre Lune in Montecito on Wednesday night.

The Italian restaurant is a celebrity hotspot, attracting famous faces such as Kevin Costner, Kenny Loggins and Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker — who may have crossed paths with Meghan and Harry during the night out as the drummer shared a picture on his Instagram story from inside the restaurant on Wednesday.

"From what I gathered, they enjoyed their food and had a nice time," a source tells PEOPLE.

The couple moved from the U.K. to California in 2020 after stepping back from their royal roles, and a family insider tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week's cover story that for Prince Harry, it's a "very different" life but one he "seems to be embracing."

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Despite their public outings to restaurants, the beach and local markets, Harry and Meghan largely keep to themselves. They work out of a shared office inside their sprawling $14.65 million estate, which boasts chicken coops, a playground and a vegetable garden.

"They’re not into a big scene. They prefer smaller group hangouts at home, karaoke, that sort of thing,” says a friend. (Of the two, Harry is more frequently out and about.)

On their priorities now, a source says Meghan "just wants to focus on their kids and their life in Montecito."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex "are very united when it comes to family values and how to raise their kids. They are both great parents," the source adds. "Their kids are their world."

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