Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate five years of marriage on May 19, having first met and started a relationship in the summer of 2016.
The couple have achieved and experienced a lot over the course of their marriage so far, not only welcoming two children, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 1, but also stepping away from the monarchy, moving Stateside and embarking on new careers in the entertainment business.
The couple have produced books, TV series and podcasts and taken part in interviews, as well as continuing their work in the philanthropic field. However, Meghan said in a 2022 interview with Variety that at the heart of everything the couple does is their "love story."
Here, Newsweek looks back at Harry and Meghan's royal wedding pictures, marking the five-year mark in their marriage.
The Bride and Groom
Prince Harry is the second son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. He met the actress Meghan Markle through a mutual friend during her summer visit to London in 2016. They began a serious relationship soon afterwards.
In November 2017, an announcement was made from Buckingham Palace informing the press and public that Harry and Meghan were engaged to be married the following spring. It read: "His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales [now King Charles] is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle. The wedding will take place in Spring 2018…
"His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents. The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace."
The Venue
The venue for Harry and Meghan's wedding was the historic St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The chapel was founded in 1475 and has been the site of a number of royal weddings, including that of the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1863.
For the royal wedding, Harry and Meghan were given use of the chapel on Saturday May 19, 2018. It was decorated with spring flowers and television cameras were staged at points around the nave, altar and choir to enable live footage of the ceremony to be broadcast around the world.
The Guests
For the wedding ceremony, Harry and Meghan invited 800 friends and family to attend. These included members of the royal family and a number of famous faces.
Oprah Winfrey was among the guests seated on the bride's side of the chapel, along with Amal and George Clooney and Serena Williams. Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish were also in attendance, as were David and Victoria Beckham.
The Dress
For her wedding dress, Meghan broke with the tradition of British royals wearing British designed and made gowns, instead commissioning a French fashion house.
The simple boat-neck gown with bracelet-length sleeves and abbey-length train was designed by Clare Waight Keller of the house of Givenchy in Paris.
The design was accessorized with a long trailing veil designed to incorporate with lace applique the floral emblems of the Commonwealth nations, as well as the California poppy.
Holding the veil in place, Meghan wore an heirloom art deco diamond tiara loaned to her for the occasion by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Bridesmaids and Page Boys
For their wedding, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had six flower girls and four page boys, taken from a pool of friends or family members.
The bridesmaids were: Princess Charlotte, Harry's niece; Florence van Cutsem, Harry's goddaughter; Zalie Warren, Harry's goddaughter; Remi Litt, Meghan's goddaughter; Rylan Litt, Meghan's goddaughter; and Ivy Mulroney, daughter of friends.
The page boys were: Prince George, Harry's nephew; Jasper Dyer, Harry's godson; Brian and John Mulroney, sons of friends.
The bridesmaids were dressed by Givenchy and the godsons had miniature uniforms made to match the groom's.
The Walk Down The Aisle
Meghan walked herself halfway down the aisle of St. George's Chapel, whereupon she was met by King Charles who took her the rest of the way.
Her father, Thomas Markle, did not attend the wedding. This followed a period of public difficulty in the relationship between Meghan and her father. He was also in ill-heath.
Meghan later revealed she personally asked the then-Prince of Wales if he would walk with her down the aisle, which he willingly accepted.
The music Meghan entered the chapel to was George Fredrick Handel's "Eternal Source of Light Divine," also known as "Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne," composed in 1713 and dedicated to Harry's ancestor.
The Sermon
For the sermon of the royal wedding service, Harry and Meghan invited Chicago-born Bishop Michael Curry to speak at St. George's Chapel.
Curry became the the Black presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church upon his appointment in 2015.
His 14-minute sermon, in which he spoke about the power of love and quoted from civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., found favor with social media fans who shared clips and their reactions online.
The Kiss
After the marriage ceremony, the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their way to the west doors of the chapel where they took part in a royal tradition by kissing for the gathered members of the press and public to witness.
The couple and their wedding party then gathered on the steps of the chapel before making their way to a drinks reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
The Carriage Drive
As the wedding guests made their way to the castle, Harry and Meghan boarded one of the queen's open-top carriages, usually used for Royal Ascot week or Trooping the Colour.
The happy couple were taken on a specially designated route through the town of Windsor and down the castle's famous "long walk" to greet well-wishers.
The Reception
After the couple joined their guests at the drinks reception hosted by the late queen, during which Prince Charles is reported to have given a speech, they prepared for their evening reception which took place in a specially erected tent in the grounds of Frogmore House.
Frogmore sits in the grounds of Windsor Castle and was formerly the home of Queen Charlotte and later Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent.
For the event, Harry and Meghan changed into evening wear with Meghan wearing a bespoke Stella McCartney halter neck evening dress accessorized with a large aquamarine cocktail ring that had previously belonged to Princess Diana.
During the reception, Harry and Meghan had their first dance to "Land of 1000 Dances" by Wilson Pickett and ended the evening with a firework display over Frogmore's ornamental lake.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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