A recent photo of Prince Archie, celebrating his sixth birthday yesterday, was captured at an upscale resort in Mexico owned by a wealthy family associated with Princess Diana.
The image posted by Meghan Markle on Instagram features her eldest son facing away, silhouetted against a stunning sunset sky.
Initially, many believed the photo was taken along the coast of California, as Prince Harry and Meghan reside with their family in a lavish £11 million home in Montecito.
But MailOnline can now confirm that the King’s grandson was in fact looking out to sea from the spectacular Cuixmala estate in Jalisco, at the Casa La Playa villa.
The US State Department has a travel advisory in place to Americans to ‘reconsider’ travel to Jalisco due to violent crime, gang activity and kidnapping in the state.
It is not known when the photo of Archie was taken. Meghan captioned it with: ‘Our son. Our sun’, adding: ‘Happy 6th birthday to Archie! Thank you for all of the love, prayers, and warm wishes for our sweet boy. He’s six! Where did the time go?’
The Duchess also thanked friends who celebrated at a recent party, writing: ‘And for all of you who came to celebrate with us at his party last weekend, thank you for making his birthday so incredibly special’ – followed by a red heart emoji.
There is no indication the Sussexes were in Mexico to visit Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle, 80, whose home is around 2,000 miles away in Rosarito.
Meghan Markle shared a photograph on her Instagram of her eldest child Prince Archie yesterday, who was pictured from behind as he stood watching a vibrant orange sunset
Prince Archie was photograped at the Casa La Playa villa on the spectacular Cuixmala estate
MailOnline can reveal Archie was looking out to sea from the Cuixmala estate in Mexico
Mr Markle also told the Mail in January that he was leaving Mexico after ten years for a new life abroad in 2025 and had been considering options in South East Asia.
The stunning Cuixmala estate was built by French-British billionaire financier and politician Sir James Goldsmith in 1989 as a private retreat for him and his family.
After Sir James’s death aged 64 in 1997, Alix Marcaccini – his daughter with his second wife Ginette Lery – took on the estate before opening it as a hotel.
Cuixmala, which has two private beaches, is set in a nature reserve of more than 30,000 acres where protected wildlife such as zebras to crocodiles roam free.
The four-bedroom Casa La Playa villa is located on a private beach, and is spread over 19,913 sq ft. According to the Cuixmala website, it is the largest villa on site and boasts ‘exquisite sunset views’.
The cost of booking Casa La Playa – which is serviced by a cook, butler and two housekeepers – is only available on request, although it is understood that prices start at $7,000 (£5,000) per night.
Some of its biggest selling points include an oceanside swimming pool with a dining palapa, living and dining rooms with panoramic views, and a master bedroom with spectacular ocean views from its wraparound windows.
Cuixmala, which has two private beaches, is set in a nature reserve of more than 30,000 acres
Cuixmala is home to protected wildlife such as zebras to crocodiles which roam free
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son Archie and daughter Lilibet in December 2021
Previous guests at Cuixmala, whose architect was the Frenchman Robert Couturier, have included model Kate Moss and politicians Ronald Reagan and Henry Kissinger.
One of Sir James’s children is financier Ben Goldsmith who hit the headlines this week for saying after Harry’s bombshell BBC interview last Friday: ‘Tragic but true – Prince Harry’s behaviour is unforgivable.’
The reference to forgiveness is thought to be in response to Harry’s admission that a reconciliation with his family would be very difficult because of his book Spare and his criticism of them in interviews.
Ben, 44, became the first former friend of Harry to condemn him publicly. The Duke admitted in Spare that he had lost friends over his decision to tell all to American chat show host Oprah Winfrey, including the van Cutsem family.
‘Several close mates and beloved figures in my life, including one of Hugh and Emilie’s sons, Emilie herself, and even Tiggy [Pettifer, his former nanny], had chastised me for Oprah,’ he wrote. ‘How could you reveal such things? About your family?’
However Ben’s sister Jemima Goldsmith was a close friend to Harry’s mother Princess Diana and visited her twice in Pakistan while she was married to former cricket legend Imran Khan.
Cuixmala was built by French-British billionaire financier and politician Sir James Goldsmith
Sir James’s daughter Alix Marcaccini took on the estate after he died then opened it as a hotel
She agreed to help Netflix with its portrayal of Diana in The Crown before pulling out when she concluded that the story was not being treated as ‘respectfully or compassionately’ as she had hoped.
‘It was really important to me that the final years of my friend’s life be portrayed accurately and with compassion, as has not always happened in the past,’ she later explained.
Archie’s birthday celebrations, held thousands of miles away from the rest of the Royal Family, took place after the Duke of Sussex’s bombshell interview with the BBC in which he said the King will not speak to him and he does not know how much longer his father has left.
Harry, speaking after losing a Court of Appeal challenge over his security, said he ‘can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point’.
Archie has made a number of appearances on Meghan’s Instagram feed since the duchess launched her As Ever business.
The Duchess, who is careful to hide Archie’s face, has shown the youngster baking alongside Princess Lilibet as they made thumbprint cookies for cast and crew when she appeared on the Drew Barrymore Show.
Financier Ben Goldsmith has said of his old friend: ‘Prince Harry’s behaviour is unforgivable’
Jemima Goldsmith was a close friend to Harry’s mother Princess Diana and visited her twice in Pakistan while she was married to former cricket legend Imran Khan (pictured in 1997)
He has also been pictured picking roses in the Sussexes’ Montecito garden, and walking barefoot hand in hand with Harry while Lili was carried on the duke’s shoulders.
Archie, the King’s grandson, was born on May 6, 2019 at the private Portland Hospital in London.
He was named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and only became a prince after the death of his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
He is sixth in line to the throne and moved to the US when he was 10 months old after his parents stepped down as senior working royals for a new life in California.
