Last year, we got a glimpse of Prince Harry’s lovely California life. Pro surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer posted some photos and videos of Harry surfing at Kelly Slater’s surf ranch, and Harry looked like he knew what he was doing. Harry is such a natural athlete – reportedly, he’s always been an excellent polo player too, and that video of Harry completing the obstacle course with James Corden lives rent-free in my head (not to mention Peg’s head). Well, back in January, we also learned that Harry brings Archie along for surf sessions. Now TMZ got their hands on photos of Harry and Meghan watching Archie’s surf lesson in Carpinteria on Friday.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are at it again — riding high on life, grinning through it all, and living their best royal rebellion.
TMZ got the pics — Harry and Megs hit up Santa Claus Beach in Carpinteria, just outside Santa Barbara on Friday, soaking up the sun and teaching Archie how to catch some waves.
6-year-old Archie is already a little adventurer in the making. He’s still in the early stages of surfing — taking after dad, who’s also taken up surfing in California.
While little Archie was busy catching waves, Harry and Meghan kept it chill, watching from a distance, chatting with folks on the beach.
While the UK’s summer fades into its usual rainy misery, Harry’s clearly loving every bit of the Cali sun, proving the move to the States was the best decision ever!
TMZ has several photos, none of which have a clear shot of Archie’s face. Which is nice – I have no idea if that was purposeful or it just happened that way. The photos are low-quality as well. My point is that either the paparazzo didn’t know what he was doing or a non-pap took the photos and sold them to an agency or TMZ. It also means that the family is back from their vacation. They were being so quiet in July, I kind of assumed that they were in Botswana for a bit. Maybe they were and they came back last week. I really don’t know!
Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Hit the Beach for Archie's Surf Lessons https://t.co/fjqnFj0T0D pic.twitter.com/2lErzNFFXo
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 2, 2025
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spotted on family beach outing as son Archie, 6, takes surf lessons https://t.co/fevpYMegCC pic.twitter.com/b9D5rdgNlk
— Page Six (@PageSix) August 2, 2025
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, CBS, Meghan’s IG.
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- Los Angeles, CA – Prince Harry of England interviewed by James Corden on Tourist bus in Los Angeles. They visited the “Prince of Belair” mansion, had a video conference with Meghan Markle, had tea on bus, and finally did a sport “spartan” test. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 26 FEBRUARY 2021 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – **FILE PHOTOS** Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, here on archive photos, will celebrate his 40th birthday together with his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and their children Archie and Lilly Mountbatten Windsor, probably in their villa in Montecito, California. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 14 SEPTEMBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- No use after 24 January 2021 without the prior written consent of The Communications Secretary to The Queen at Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth II records her annual Christmas broadcast in Windsor Castle, Berkshire.,Image: 578787598, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Victoria Jones / Avalon
Out and about enjoying their son surfing! Mingling with other people and having a great time. They truly are living their best lives!! Take that gutter rats!
Happy for the Sussex family. Happy for Archie.
The Surfer Prince, i hope he grows up to win competitions Surfing and doing all that he wants to do. I’m glad his parents are giving him that chance at a normal life.
I have a fantasy that Archie and Lili both end up at universities in southern California, like USC or UCLA or UCSB, and that they have a lovely, uneventful 4-5 years of college and fun in the sun. I honestly think they’d send applications to both colleges soaring.
I hope they end up in the type of fame and wealth that Caroline Kennedy’s children have. Relative anonymity but easy access.
Well do you think universities will still exists then under Trump? Or California as democratic state?
I love the idea of a surfer prince. They are true American royalty.
Not a bad way to spend a Friday! Love that they are just living their best lives.
Just good to see them casually mingling with other beach goers – unlike the Lazies stuck in a yacht at someone’s largesse.
This family is living the good life in sunny, happy Santa Barbara. Oops. TMZ will get the clicks, not the rats 😂
TMZ is still a Murdoch outlet, alas.
True. Don’t like Murdoch media making clicks off this. Enjoy seeing the family enjoying & living their life.
While I love that they’re in the sun and surfing and it blows up any poor Harry is so miserable stories, I kind of hate that these pics were taken. I hope it doesn’t prevent Archie from continuing to surf with this organization and that Harry and Meghan can keep chilling with friends as they watch. Happy Birthday to Meghan! Anyone have an idea of what day the new rose drops?
Yeah, I agree. But I think that with the distance from being working royals Harry and Meghan, I don’t want to say get more okay with this type of stuff, but realize that never having any paparazzi photos given who they are is an impossible task.
So they’ll probably continue to protect them as much as they possibly can, and definitely on anything they release themselves with the understanding that the occasional full face shot of their kids will probably get leaked. Especially as they get older and are attending birthday parties, field trips, etc.
I hope they sue anyone who tries to show their kids’ faces without their consent.
It does feel like an impossible task. For all we know this was Archie’s first surf competition. Or maybe his 10th. We don’t know. But they already got a pic of him on his first day of school so ugh. I know it’s near impossible to prevent. I just want them to keep feeling free to surf and hang out with their community. It looks like an awesome kids surf org. I’ve always wondered if I grew up in Cali, would I have become a surfer. It looks so cool but I have no desire to do it now. But starting that young, absolutely.
I grew up in a surf town and loooved it. It helps to be a kid, and kids are fearless. Now I’m all like MY BONES ACHE THINKING ABOUT IT.
That’s how I imagine it. Had I grown up in a surfer town, I would have been fearless and learned. It sounds awesome. But 100% my bones and muscles are saying no thank you. The beaches around the SB area, including Carpinteria, are so magical.
@H.W., California laws are very strict about showing children’s faces.
I also think they should be left alone during their downtime, no cameras. Hope they find out who sold those pics.
Tomorrow’s Daily Fail headline:
“Meghan cruelly forces child to surf in ocean of Harry’s tears: prince continues to weep for the bosom of his family”
“ocean of Harry’s tears” 🤣🤣🤣
LMAO
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I don’t need to see photos to know they are living their best lives!
Happy birthday Madame Duchess Meghan.continue to enjoy your beautiful family and may all your days be filled with joy and happiness.
Although unplanned, this beach visit among regular kids learning to surf is quite a contrast to the cousin asking for McDonalds to be delivered to his super yacht.
Those pics look like someone on the beach took them and sold them. I was disappointed that people posted pictures with the kids in them.
Happy birthday, Princess Meghan. May joy follow you all the days of your life. 🎂💐
The press try to paint them as removed from everything and cut off, then we see things like this where they’re on a public beach with other families just hanging out for the day, watching their kiddos surf. Glad the kids weren’t shown in detail. Those grainy pics must have been shot from a long ways away.
Unpopular opinion maybe, but Meghan and Harry have to learn how to work the paparazzi. Even the most unfamous of stars have arranged the coffee shop pic or the restaurant/private party snap. A carousel of people standing on a beach isn’t interesting. As Cher said, they’re going to take pictures anyway, might as well give them one good one.
The law in California is that Paparazzi cannot take children pictures.
They sued a photo agency already and won, TMZ knows they can only show bleary pictures.
I guess I’m confused by the law. Bc if paps cannot take pictures of children then how are even blurry ones okay or is that part of the fine print of the law? Or is it bc these were possibly from a random person’s phone and then sold to TMZ?
A local posted that she was on the beach near the surf club event and there were no paparazzi around. It was someone from the beach.
She also said they all seemed pretty normal.
Besides California law prevents kids from having their faces shown. That’s not something the UK can offer.
You are confusing the Sussex with the WanK. Calling pap for sighting shot is/was a Middleton specialty. California has strict law protecting children from pap shot.
Pap can take pictures of kids secretly but can’t never show them publicly.
From Google search:
Q: “Is it illegal to take pictures of minors without permission in California?”
AI overview answer:
“In general, it is not illegal to photograph minors in public spaces in California without their or their parents’ permission, as long as the photos are not taken for illegal or predatory purposes. However, there are exceptions and nuances to be aware of, particularly when it comes to commercial use or if the photography is deemed harassing or intrusive.”
For more details, googling it.
‘ A carousel of people standing on a beach isn’t interesting.’. And??? That’s TMZs problem, not theirs. They didn’t ask for this, they didn’t want this–all they wanted was to take their kid to his surfing lessons & enjoy the beach for a bit, that’s it. This isn’t part of some overall fame strategy, this is just their life.
I’m confused with your opinion because why would parents care if you, I, the general public or paparazzi find their lives interesting or entertaining enough for us? They aren’t living their lives for anyone other than themselves and their children, so why would they care about staging their lives for strangers who have no impact or influence on their lives thinks? It isn’t up to them or anyone else to live their lives for please us, the other royal or the paparazzi/media.
To Lisl: allowing the paparazzi one Foto and hoping they would go away then and let the royals have their privacy was exactly what was tried by Harry’s parents during his childhood and the paparazzi never respected it.
I keep reading this as Meghan and Harry were seen on Caipirinha Beach! and thinking that sounds pretty great lol
I want to go to there.
Kaiser: Please don’t use “Peg” and “head” in the same sentence.
Thanks for your attention to this matter!
The surf school posted videos. I’m pretty sure Lili was in them and she’s taking lessons as well.
We’ll hear within the next week how excellent the Wales kids are at surfing.
Oh yes and all three of them will be accomplished surfers of course!
That aside, I want to say that Harry and his family seem to be really happy away from their stuffy royal relatives.Long may it continue.As long as they keep away from them which they are doing.
All the best to Harry,Meghan,Archie and Lillli.You are the best.
Aw – Carpinteria – That was “our” beach when we lived in LA! Used to stay at a very funky motel. Modest beach town. God, that was 30 years ago. I’m afraid it’s probably pretty gentrified now, but still cool.
It sounds awesome. I went to SB once and my friend drove me around to so many stunning beaches with huge cliffs and taco trucks in the beach parking lots. If I had a lotta money, I’d spend some time driving around beach towns. From Socal up to Cannon in Oregon.
I’m still waiting for the taco trucks on every corner we were promised. That sounded so good to me. I could eat tacos every day, all day long. I want the taco truck convoy!
I’m happy that their family is living a very happy and relaxed life. Happy Birthday to Meghan, Abigail and Barack, may they spend their special day surrounded by love, laughter and joy.