All the storms Harry and Meghan have weathered since tying the knot six years ago
By Merryn Porter |
May 19, marks six years since Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, exchanged wedding vows during a ceremony at St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
But when the loved up couple's eyes met as the former Meghan Markle walked up the aisle on the arm of her father-in-law to be, now King Charles, few could have predicted the storm that would follow.
In fact, while the couple says the media and Buckingham Palace conspired against them from the start, the general public for the most part were thrilled that the much-loved second child of Princess Diana finally found love.
Here, we a look at the couple's unmistakable bond, from their first meeting to their wedding, and departure from the royal family, to their exciting future as they launch a new business venture.
READ MORE: William and Catherine's 'unshakeable' bond stronger than ever
Harry and Meghan's first meeting
It was during their 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, that Harry revealed they first connected online in 2016.
"I was scrolling through my feed and one of my friends and someone who was a friend had this video of the two of them," he said. "I was like, 'Who is that?'"
Meghan said that same unnamed friend then told her Prince Harry had asked about her and suggested the two meet.
After looking at Harry's social media profile and liking what she saw, they exchanged numbers. He later revealed in his book Spare they spent time getting to know each other via text, with their first conversation taking place on July 1 — his mother's birthday — before meeting for drinks days' later.
READ MORE: Prince William, Prince of Wales: The boy who was born to be king
Camping holiday
They went on back-to-back dates in the following days before Harry asked her to join him on a trip to Botswana. He later admitted he was shocked she said yes.
In an interview after they became engaged, he recalled, "We camped out with each other under the stars. She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic."
Prince Harry later said it was during this trip he realised Meghan, who was then starring in the TV show, Suits, was his soulmate.
The couple managed to keep their relationship under wraps until October that year.
During a 2021 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Meghan revealed Princess Eugenie and her now husband Jack accompanied them to a Halloween fancy dress party in Toronto, Canada, where they were able to enjoy a "final, fun night."
The couple's first test
That same month, reports emerged the two were dating. The period marked the couple's first real test, with Prince Harry taking the rare step for a royal by issuing a public statement in November that year to condemn the "wave of harassment" directed at Meghan.
It was the first sign Harry would be by Meghan's side to weather any storms.
He also took aim at what he called "the smear campaign" on the front page of a national newspaper and called out "the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."
By May 2017, the couple were attending public events together.
Their fairytale engagement
Harry and Meghan's engagement was announced by Clarence House on November 27, 2017 – just 16 months after they started dating.
During an engagement interview with the BBC, the couple revealed Harry proposed earlier that month during a night at home. Meghan was roasting a chicken when Harry took her outside, where he had set out a blanket. He proposed with a ring that included an ethically-sourced central diamond flanked by two diamonds from his mother's private collection.
At the time, they praised members of the royal family for their support. Catherine, now Princess of Wales, was described as "wonderful" and Harry's brother William was a "fantastic" support.
But the lead-up to the wedding was anything but smooth sailing, with Markle's sister Samantha and father Thomas making headlines.
A royal wedding and a baby
In the end, her father did not attend the wedding, with King Charles instead walking his Givenchy-clad future daughter-in-law up the aisle on May 19, 2018. The Queen was among the 600 guests, and an estimated 1.9 billion people watched the wedding on TV.
As a wedding gift, the Queen gave them new royal titles, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She later gifted them a home, Frogmore Cottage.
Just five months after their wedding, Kensington Palace announced they were expecting their first child while Harry and Meghan were on an official 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
"Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public," the statement said.
Tension with the royals
But the next month, the first signs of serious cracks emerged with reports that Harry and Meghan were planning to sever ties with William and Catherine. The split was made official on March 14, 2019.
The following month, the couple moved into their new home Frogmore Cottage after it underwent extensive renovations.
They launched their own Instagram account, Sussex Royal, in April that year.
Archie is welcomed to the world
They used the account to announce the birth of their first child on May 6, 2019.
His arrival followed a secret dash to hospital, which was only announced after his birth.
Harry later fronted the media to gush about his wife and then unnamed newborn son.
Archie made his debut not outside a hospital like other royal children but inside Windsor Castle, with just one photographer chosen to take photos. A select few images, some of which included Meghan's mother and the Queen and Prince Philip, were passed onto press.
Like his birth, Archie's baptism on July 6, 2019, in the chapel of Windsor Castle, was private. Only about 25 people were present and the names of Archie's godparents were never released.
Court action
In October, 2019, Meghan sued Associated Newspapers for publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her father after he missed the royal wedding and spoke to tabloids.
In a statement, Prince Harry backed his wife, who he said was the victim of a "ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son."
That same month, the couple announced they would be taking six weeks' leave from royal duties to focus on their family.
They skipped Christmas with the family and headed to Canada.
Stepping down as senior royals
On January 8, 2020, the couple took to Instagram to announce they were stepping down as senior royals in a statement that shocked the world.
"After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," the statement said.
"We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."
Harry's decision to step away from 'The Firm' he was born into showed just how far he would go for Meghan. A so-called "Sandringham Summit" held days later cemented their exit and resulted in a statement from the Queen, who said she supported Harry and Meghan's desire to "create a new life as a young family."
The couple attended the Endeavour Fund Awards in London on March 5, 2020. It was their last engagement.
They retained their titles but are no longer styled HRH. Harry remains fifth in line to the throne despite becoming a US citizen.
'Freedom flight'
On March 14, 2020, they boarded a private jet to start their new lives in the US. In their documentary, the duke shared footage taken on board.
"We are on the freedom flight. We are leaving Canada and we are headed to Los Angeles," he said.
After several months living in a borrowed home in LA, the couple relocated to their own $21 million mansion in Montecito, California.
In September 2020, they announced they had signed a deal with Netflix. Among their projects was their six-part documentary about their lives together.
Bombshell claims
Before it could air, Harry made the ultimate show of support for his wife by taking part in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was filmed while Meghan was heavily pregnant with their second child.
Amongst the bombshell claims aired in March 2021 was that members of the royal family were racist and Catherine had made Meghan cry in the lead-up to the wedding day.
In May 2021, Harry again opened up to Winfrey in an interview for the Apple TV+ series The Me You Can't See, and described his struggle to protect Meghan from the 'triggering' paparazzi amid fears she would suffer the same fate as his mother.
"I didn't want history to repeat itself," he said. "We get followed, photographed, chased, harassed."
"It makes me angry and takes me back to what happened to my mum and what I experienced as a kid."
The couple announced the birth of daughter Lilibet Diana on June 4, 2021, via a statement.
They returned to the UK in June 2022 to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee with their children in tow. While there, they held Lilibet's first birthday party at Frogmore Cottage, but no senior members of the royal family were present.
The Queen's death and a royal reunion
The couple was already in the UK for a private trip when the Queen died on September 8, 2022. The couple reunited with William and Catherine in public for a walkabout and the Queen's funeral.
Any thoughts of a reconciliation appeared to be dashed when part one of their docuseries aired on December 8, 2022. Harry's autobiography, Spare, was released the following month.
On March 1, 2023, a spokesperson for the couple told People they had been asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage.
This year, the couple's abandoned Sussex Royal website began directing traffic to a new website, Sussex.com, which serves as a jump-off point for Archewell Foundation, the website they run for their charitable work, and Archewell Productions.
In April, Meghan announced the launch of her new business venture, American Riviera Orchard, via an Instagram page. The name is a nod to the Montecito township where they are raising their two children.
Today, Harry and Meghan seem closer than ever in latest photos, including at an April 2024 charity polo match in Florida, where they were pictured kissing after she handed him the winner's trophy.
The Sussexes also seemed happy and loved-up during their three-day visit to Nigeria.
