The Queen, Prince William and Kate Middleton share photos of Archie on his third birthday

Megxit, the move to the US and a global pandemic have kept Harry and Meghan distanced from the rest of the royal family for two years.

And it was evident today as the Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared their birthday wishes for Harry and Meghan's oldest son Archie, reports the Daily Mail.

Archie will celebrate his third birthday at home in Montecito with his parents and little sister Lilibet.

The Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all shared their greetings on social media at the same time.

But due to the lack of any recent family gatherings, both Charles and the Cambridges had to use identical photos to last year, as the Queen chose to share an old photo of her meeting her great-grandson in 2019.

Prince Charles and Camilla shared birthday wishes for their grandson. Photo / @clarencehouse

Archie, who is seventh in line to the throne, hasn't been in the UK since the autumn of 2019 before he and his parents left to spend Christmas in Canada.

Prince Harry last visited the Queen in April, when he and Meghan had a secret meeting with the monarch before travelling to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games. However, their two children did not join them.

The Queen's Royal Family Instagram account shared their well wishes for Archie. Photo / @theroyalfamily

It's believed Harry's relationship with Prince Charles is still a strained one, with reports suggesting the pair were cold with each other during another meeting at Windsor ahead of the Netherlands trip. It's also reported that William and Kate went skiing to avoid meeting with Harry.

Harry caused controversy by telling US TV host Hoda Kotb in a Today show interview that he sees himself as his grandmother's "protector".

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a tribute to their nephew on his third birthday. Photo / @dukeandduchessofcambridge

"It was just so nice to see her, you know, she's on great form, she's always got a great sense of humour with me and I'm making sure she's protected and got the right people around her."

While the royals have spent time with Archie when he lived in the UK, it's believed the Queen, Charles and William have never met his younger sister Lili, who was born in June 2021.