Royal family, fans wish 'phenomenal' Meghan Markle a happy 39th birthday

Members of the royal family have joined many well-wishers in wishing the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, a happy 39th birthday.

The duchess is celebrating her birthday in her hometown of Los Angeles, California, where she now lives with her husband Prince Harry and son Archie following their exit from the royal family.

Meghan shares her birthday with former US president Barack Obama.

The queen, Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Cambridges were among many who took to social media to wish Meghan a happy birthday.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posted an adorable photo of a smiling Meghan on their Instagram, along with a short birthday message to the former Suits actress.

They were joined by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker-Bowles, who also posted an image of the duchess on their social media pages.

The queen shared an image of herself and the duchess at a joint event back in 2018, alongside a short birthday message.

While it remains unclear how the duchess will celebrate the special day, the HuffPost reported that a group of supporters calling themselves the Sussex Squad, together with the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), are planning to launch the #InspiredbyMeghan Scholarship for Women's Education in celebration of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's birthdays.

The scholarship will be awarded to deserving African women studying nursing, engineering and journalism.

Many other well-wishers also took to social media to wish the duchess a happy birthday.

Here are some of the messages: