Prince Archie was given a free bike with stabilizers for his birthday, the British owner of a shop in Montecito revealed today.
Martin and Jennifer Blevins delivered it to Meghan and Harry’s $14.7 million mansion, along with flowers, balloons and a card for the little boy, who turned four on May 6.
The couple, who run Mad Dogs & Englishmen Bike Shop in Montecito, unveiled the gift after posting a thank-you note from the Sussexes on their Instagram page.
The couple seem to be such fans of the royals that, according to their Insta, they’ve named one of their dogs Meghan Markle and ride their beloved pup around in a special sidecar attached to one of their luxury bikes. She also welcomes visitors to her shop, which is used by a host of celebrities, including fellow British man Simon Cowell.
But the Blevins have faced criticism from some, who think the bike should have belonged to a less privileged child. Sussex supporters were upset that they shared the thank you letter, which was on a piece of paper with a Sussex letter but not signed by the couple, on social media.
One critic sarcastically wrote: “Too important to write your own letters.” But one supporter said: “If you’re angry that a company sent a little boy a bike as a sweet surprise for his birthday, then you’re the one causing the problem.” has.”
Meghan and Harry’s letter of thanks after a Montecito store delivered a free bike for his 4th birthday last month
Archie, pictured with his family, is said to have been delighted with the gift
Shopkeeper Martin, a Brit in California, personally delivered the gift. He seems to be such a fan of the couple that he has named one of their dogs Meghan Markle (pictured in the sidecar).
Meghan the dog greets visitors to her shop in Montecito
Jennifer Blevins told PEOPLE that they made the “spontaneous” decision to give Archie a special birthday present.
She said, “He [Martin] He got one of our special little bikes for kids – they’re really nice little bikes – and he said, “This one’s perfect, it has training wheels.”
“And so he got some birthday balloons, some flowers for Meghan and a birthday card and he said, ‘Okay, I’ll ride my bike over there and take her to your house.’
Then security came to check who he was. After verifying who Martin was and the packages, security allowed him to leave the gift.
“He said, ‘I’m just a British company in town that wanted to give Archie a gift,'” she added.
A month later, the couple’s letter of thanks arrived.
Ms Blevins said: “A courier stopped by our little shop on Coast Village Road and brought this letter over.”
“I made a joke, I said, ‘It had better be a thank you note,’ and it really was. I would not have expected this. I had no idea.
“It was so thoughtful because they took the time to write something personal and not just a generic thank you.”
“Every celebrity in this town bought bikes from us and everyone gets through there,” she recalls. “None of them sent a thank you note.
“His little sister Lili can also enjoy it as she grows up, it will be something both of them will enjoy.”
Martin with his compatriot Simon Cowell
The bike shop has been criticized for giving a prince a free bike and making it public
The letter from Harrison Colcord of Prince Harry and Meghan’s office was then posted to the bike shop’s Instagram account.
It read: “On behalf of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, please accept your sincere thanks for the thoughtful gift you sent to Prince Archie on his fourth birthday.” and is very much appreciated by the family. They asked me to say thank you for the nice surprise.
Shortly after the coronation, Harry had rushed to the airport to fly home on British Airways so he could see Archie on his birthday last month.
The Duke of Sussex was seen entering Heathrow, still in formal attire and with an order of service in hand, before boarding the plane at 3.45pm.
The service didn’t finish until 1pm, giving Harry barely time to make the 20-mile drive from Westminster, which would normally take almost an hour by car.
But he was determined to return to his Montecito mansion to celebrate Meghan on her eldest son Archie’s fourth birthday.
Harry, 38, landed at around 6.30pm local time – 2.30am in the UK – at Los Angeles airport, from where he was taken to his home 90 miles up the coast.
The Duke’s chauffeur-driven Range Rover was spotted picking it up from the airport’s exclusive Private Suites hangar.
That meant he was probably celebrating around 8pm with Meghan, 41, Archie and Lilibet, 1.
Sources had stressed that Harry would be “travelling in and out of the UK within 24 hours” in the run-up to the occasion as he didn’t want to miss his son’s birthday.