Eight years after their fairytale royal wedding captivated the world, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are giving fans a rare and heartwarming glimpse behind the palace walls.
To celebrate their eighth wedding anniversary, Meghan delighted Instagram followers by sharing 24 previously unseen photographs from the couple’s spectacular 2018 wedding at St George’s Chapel, along with a sweet family video featuring Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
The intimate anniversary post offered a deeply personal look at one of the most famous weddings in modern royal history, showing joyful candid moments from both the lavish daytime ceremony and the exclusive evening reception.
Among the treasured images were snapshots of Harry admiring Meghan’s bridal bouquet, music legend Elton John performing at the reception piano, and touching scenes of the couple celebrating with close family and friends inside Windsor Castle.
Another emotional photo showed then-Prince Charles – now King Charles III – beside Meghan shortly after the ceremony, after he famously stepped in to walk her down the aisle when her father was unable to attend.
The stunning wedding gown, designed by acclaimed British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, featured a sleek boat-neck silhouette and an extraordinary five-metre silk veil embroidered with floral emblems representing all 53 Commonwealth nations.
For the private evening celebration at Frogmore House, Meghan changed into a glamorous halter-neck gown by Stella McCartney and wore the famous aquamarine ring once owned by Diana, Princess of Wales.
The anniversary celebrations also revealed a charming secret from the couple’s 2017 engagement party. In the family video, Harry surprised Meghan with a lemon and elderflower cake, the same flavour served at their wedding, while singing “Happy Anniversary” alongside Archie and Lilibet.
Harry also gifted Meghan a bronze sculpture of two penguins nestled together, a nod both to the traditional eighth anniversary gift and to the couple’s playful engagement party theme.
“When mama and papa got engaged, we had a party with all of our friends, and we said, ‘Everyone wear an animal onesie’,” Meghan explained in the clip.
“We were penguins… because we’re together for life.”
The couple’s wedding on May 19, 2018, drew more than 110,000 people to the streets of Windsor and was watched by hundreds of millions worldwide, cementing its place as one of the most memorable royal celebrations of the modern era.
Instagram/Chris Allerton
