Meghan Markle’s 45th birthday celebration was far sweeter—and more unexpected—than fans imagined, as Prince Harry helped turn a quiet day at home into an adorable family occasion complete with their beloved dogs wearing tiny party hats. 🎉

It’s no surprise that Meghan Markle’s dogs were part of her 45th birthday celebrations!

The Duchess of Sussex turned 45 on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and she took to her Instagram Stories late in the day to share a glimpse of her at-home celebrations, where the family’s two dogs got in on the fun.

In the clip, Meghan and Prince Harry try to persuade their pups — black lab Pula and beagle Mia — to sport small silver party hats. However, they had little luck in getting the dogs to wear the accessories for long. In the clip, Mia is seen rolling around on the floor, the hat squished beneath her, while Pula has decided to carry it around in her mouth.

“Oh dear,” Harry can be heard saying, as Meghan giggles.

On another take, Pula appears to briefly tolerate the hat before nearly losing it during a stretch.

“Let me take it off,” Meghan says with a laugh. “I’m sorry!”

When Meghan met Harry, she had a beagle named Guy, who moved with her to the U.K. before the family settled in California in 2020. Guy died in January 2025. The couple adopted Pula together shortly before their 2018 wedding, and Mia joined the family in 2022. She was rescued from a breeding and research lab in Virginia by the Beagle Freedom Project, whom Meghan reached out to personally about adopting an older dog.

“The duchess is holding Mia and was like, ‘We’re adopting her,’” Shannon Keith, a volunteer with the organization, told the L.A. Times. “She was like, ‘No, we don’t want a Christmas puppy…we want ones we can help who are older.’ “

Prior to sharing the behind-the-scenes look at her at-home celebration, Meghan marked her birthday by sharing a new pair of black-and-white photos on her personal Instagram page. The first image showed the Duchess of Sussex, sporting a black one-piece bathing suit and sunglasses, jumping into a pool while holding a bouquet of balloons. The next picture showed her submerged moments later, still clutching the balloons.

A close source tells PEOPLE that the photos were taken by a friend during an early birthday celebration in California.

“Thank you for the birthday love! 🎈,” Meghan captioned the snaps, shared on her birthday morning.

Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As ever, also got into the celebrations, sharing their own tribute on Instagram.

“Happy birthday to our founder, @meghan,” As ever’s page captioned a carousel of images, including a throwback photo of the Duchess of Sussex as a young girl in pigtails.

Meghan shares her birthday with the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who was born on Aug. 4, 1900, and lived to be 101.

In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Prince Harry recalled the moment in the summer of 2018 that his father, King Charles, realized that Meghan was born on the same day as his beloved grandmother.

“The bond between Meg and Pa, always strong, grew even stronger during that weekend. One night, over pre-dinner cocktails, Fred Astaire playing in the background, it emerged that Meg shared a birthdate with Pa’s favorite person: Gan-Gan,” Harry wrote. “ ’Amazing,’ Pa said with a smile.”

Prince Harry went on to share how Meghan’s connection to the “Queen Mum” sparked unexpected delight in his father.

“At the memory of Gan-Gan, and the link between her and my bride, he suddenly became buoyant, telling stories I’d never heard, essentially performing, showing off for her,” Harry wrote.