A close friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has given a stunning assessment of the couple’s lives in California and in a brutal three-word verdict on their lives stateside, she calls them “pretty darn normal”.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are raising their family, Archie, aged five, and two-year-old Lilibet, in the sunshine-blessed community of Montecito where they live in a multi-million dollar mansion.

Journalist Bryony Gordon has opened up about her own friendship with the pair and in a piece for the Mail Online she wrote that in her “honest opinion” Prince Harry is “kind, funny and pretty damn normal, all things ­considered”.

She added: “I often see a flash of ­disappointment cloud their faces, followed quickly by words to the effect of ‘well you would say that, you know him’, as if knowing ­someone should disqualify you from having a trusted opinion about them.”

Ms Gordon reportedly became acquainted with Prince Harry in 2016 when he launched the mental health awareness initiative Heads Together, alongside his brother Prince William and Princess Kate.

Harry later appeared on Gordon’s podcast and she has visited him and Meghan in the USA.

Gordon says Harry “cares passionately about injured veterans” and has “done more than most to change perceptions of mental health in this country”. She spent an afternoon at their mansion and described “kids running around happily as we drank tea” while the Duke “proudly showed me the DIY photo wall he’d recently ­created, featuring pictures of his mum”.

She added: “There are no airs or graces with them, no desire to do anything other than protect their children from an increasingly digital world that likes nothing more than seeing the worst in people.

“A world that forgets that no ­matter how high profile a person is, they’re just doing their best, like everyone else.”

She added: “This is not what people want to hear, but it is what I’ve found, time and time again.”

Earlier this month the Prince and Princess of Wales have wished the Duke of Sussex a happy 40th birthday in a rare message on social media.

William and Kate shared an earlier post from the royal family on X, formerly Twitter, and added their own message, which read: “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”

Some will see the post as a surprise move given the unresolved tensions between the brothers. Their estrangement has shown no sign of abating, with the duke also having a strained relationship with his father, the King.

A post from the royal family account at the same time marked the first public birthday message for Harry since 2021.