Prince Harry turns 36: How he will celebrate his special day as financially independent royal

Prince Harry will celebrate his 36th birthday on Tuesday, Sept. 15, his first since becoming a financially independent member of the British royal family.

This will also be the first time Prince Harry will spend his special day in his and Meghan Markle's first independently-bought home. The couple shifted to their £11.2 million mansion in the Montecito neighbourhood in Santa Barbara, California, in July.

The British royal will most likely spend his day with wife Meghan and 16-month-old son Archie. They might also be joined by the "Suits" alum's mother Doria Ragland, who lives in Los Angeles, but it is highly unlikely that the prince will be visited by his family in the UK with travel restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, he received wishes from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, and Prince William and Kate Middleton, and other members of the British royal family on his special day.

The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex recently achieved financial independence, months after quitting as senior members of the royal family. Apart from buying their forever home, the pair repaid the British taxpayers the renovation costs spent by the British monarchy on Frogmore Cottage, a property of Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II which continues to be the UK residence for Harry, Meghan, and Archie. The massive expenses come as the duo has signed a lucrative deal with Netflix under which they would produce documentaries and other exclusive content for the US streaming giant.

Royal commentator and author Ingrid Seward told Vanity Fair about Harry's first birthday in the US: "He can celebrate his birthday on a high. He's embracing his new life and everything is an adventure right now. He has moved on very quickly, and I don't think he misses his old life at all."

The Duke of Sussex is also reaching a significant age this year. He is now the same age his mother Princess Diana was when she lost her life in a car crash in Paris in 1997, when he was just 12. His elder brother Prince William reached that age two years ago.

According to Seward, who knew Princess Diana, the late royal would have approved her son's relocation to the US. "Diana often spoke about wanting to move to America; Harry's actually done it," Seward said.