Prince Harry takes Archie surfing in California: Duke’s five-year-old son joins him at surf school
Prince Harry is said to be teaching his son Prince Archie to surf after a photo of the two at a surfing school was posted on social media.
The photo, which was later deleted, showed the 40-year-old Duke of Sussex wearing a black wetsuit next to his five-year-old child on a jet ski in California.
The photo was uploaded as part of an Instagram reel by professional surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer and taken at surfer Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in Lemoore.
But the image was later removed from the film, with the caption: ‘Don’t hate, just be happy and keep smiling. Brother HARRY, let’s go for 2025!’
Other photos that remained on the roll included a selection of Harry riding a wave, one of him smiling with his board and another posing with Van Bastolaer.
The photo of Harry and Archie was circulated on social media this morning by those who saw it on Van Bastolaer’s Instagram page before it was deleted.
It provided a rare chance to see Archie’s face, as Harry and Meghan Markle have rarely put their son and three-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet in the spotlight.
In an earlier video that Raimana Van Bastolaer posted in October, Prince Harry could be seen surfing
The clip, posted in October, showed the Duke of Sussex surfing at the school in California
It comes just over a fortnight after Harry and his wife shared a rare photo of their two children as part of a series of images for their official Christmas card.
The card, released on December 16, showed the Duke and Duchess outdoors about to embrace Archie and Lilibet as their son and daughter ran into their arms.
But the children’s faces were not visible in the image as Lilibet approached Harry while Archie sprinted towards Meghan.
Since moving to California, Harry is said to have become friends with Van Bastolaer and Meghan is said to have bought him surfing lessons for his 36th birthday.
Van Bastolaer, known for his surfing activities on big waves in Tahiti, also posted images of the Duke surfing in October last year.
Captioning that message, Van Bastolaer said: ‘In Tahiti we still call you Prince Harry. But at Surf Ranch it’s my brother. It was an honor to have you surf with me and Kelly Slater.”
Raimana Van Bastolaer posted images of the Duke of Sussex surfing in October last year
Harry and Meghan shared a rare photo of their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as part of a series of images for their official Christmas card a fortnight ago on December 16.
Harry starts by riding alongside Van Bastolaer’s jet ski and pulls back as soon as the wave starts to appear, before expertly jumping onto his board.
The duke then finds his balance and, under the guidance of Van Bastolaer, skillfully tackles the growing wave for almost a minute.
The wave is the central feature of Slater’s surf ranch and is a man-made, first of its kind, 6-foot barrel wave that reaches 2,300 feet.
It has been called the best artificial wave in the world and is still the only one to receive World Surf League accreditation, meaning it is suitable for hosting elite-level competitions.