Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a break from their Invictus Games commitments to celebrate his 39th birthday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 42, rang in the occasion at Im Goldenen Kessel, a traditional German restaurant, in Düsseldorf, according to the Daily Mail.
“Harry was a lovely man and was having a very jolly time. Meghan was lovely,” the establishment’s owner, Thea Ungermann, told the outlet on Thursday, September 14.
The royal couple, who are in Germany for the 2023 Invictus Games, even posed for a photo with Ungermann and her staff. Harry opted for a gray button-down and a pair of jeans, while Meghan wore white skinny jeans, a maroon striped shirt and carried a Cuyana handbag.
According to the restaurant staff, Harry and Meghan sampled an array of the country’s classic cuisine. Head waiter Frank Wackers told the Daily Mail that Harry enjoyed “six small beers” before trying wiener schnitzel, pork knuckle, sausage and plates of roast and mashed potatoes.
“They were very happy. He is a lovely man, and they were so nice,” Wackers added of his royal run-in, noting that Harry even joked about the alcoholic beverage he was served. ‘He said that he would kill me if the beer was bad, but I know he was joking.”
No birthday celebration is complete without a special cake — and the restaurant had it covered. According to the British outlet, Harry was presented with a white chocolate cake after a rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
At the end of the night, Ungermann found that Harry himself paid the bill — and left the staff a “big tip.”
Harry and Meghan, who share 4-year-old son Archie and 2-year-old daughter Lilibet, arrived in Germany separately earlier this month for the Invictus Games, which Harry cofounded in 2014. He kicked off the tournament solo on September 9 before Meghan joined him days later.
“It is so special to be here, and I’m so sorry that I was a little late for the party,” she told attendees at the Family & Friends party after her arrival on Tuesday, September 12, per Hello! magazine. “Just like so many of you, we know this is about family and friends and the community that Invictus has created, that Fischer House has created, and so I had to just spend a little bit more time getting our little ones settled home.”
Meghan joked that she did “school drop-off” with her kids back home in California before catching her overseas flight. “I just landed a couple of hours ago. I am thrilled that the first event that I can do with Invictus is here with all of you,” she added at the time. “It is amazing.”
Harry and Meghan, who made their public debut as a couple at the 2017 Games in Toronto, have actively participated in this year’s event by watching various matches and handing out trophies to the winners.
