Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Are All Smiles In His 39th Birthday Bash Photo

On September 15, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, turned 39. Harry celebrated his birthday the night before at Im Goldenen Kessel, a restaurant at the Schumacher Brewery in Düsseldorf, Germany. The duke's been in Düsseldorf all week, attending the Invictus Games, an event that's close to Harry's heart. Since the first games in 2014, the prince has been involved with this athletic completion for wounded service people and veterans. 

Accompanied by Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, a few current and former staff members, and their security team, Harry enjoyed a meal of traditional German cuisine including bratwurst and wiener schnitzel. The brewery is renowned for Schumacher Alt,  and Harry enjoyed six half-pint glasses of the beer during his celebration. To end the meal on a sweet note, the restaurant gifted the prince a white chocolate cake. 

Restaurant owner Thea Ungermann was particularly excited to see the royal couple. "I had goosebumps when they walked in. I had watched his speech on the stage at the Invictus Games and couldn't believe he was in my restaurant," Ungermann informed The Telegraph. "Prince Harry was so lovely and gave me a hug." The duke also expressed his appreciation by leaving a generous tip when he paid the bill for the celebration. While restaurant patrons were asked to refrain from taking photos of the royal birthday party, Harry and Meghan did pose for a photo with Ungermann and Frank Wackers, the restaurant's head waiter and longtime employee for 38 years. 

In addition to the warm reception Prince Harry received during his night out at the Schumacher Brewery, the Duke of Sussex's birthday was acknowledged during a volleyball match at the Invictus Games on September 15. The event's announcer led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to the prince. Harry signaled his appreciation for the spectators with a double thumbs up and a smile. 

The Invictus Games staff also posted birthday greetings for Harry on Twitter. "A heartfelt HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the founder and patron of @WeAreInvictus, Prince Harry," they tweeted. "You've given hope, inspired millions and never stop putting a smile on people's faces."

However, with the royal family, Harry hasn't received any public birthday greetings since 2021.  "Although we have seen warm happy birthday wishes for Prince Harry in the past, the recent trend on social media is for the royal family to only share a birthday post for the main working members of the family," royal expert Christine Ross explained to Express. "This creates a clear, easy boundary for the social media posts and eliminates any uncertainty on who will or won't be wished a happy birthday." While Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, ended their career as working royals in 2020, this rule change didn't occur until King Charles succeeded Queen Elizabeth on September 8, 2022. Accordingly, the royals didn't provide a tribute on Meghan's birthday on August 4, 2023.