Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are royals, but they aren’t super humans. Like any couple on their wedding day (opens in new tab), the pair went through a whirlwind of emotions, which 29 million people (opens in new tab) (in the U.S. alone) witnessed on TV. It’s expected then that both Meghan and Harry were a little tired after the ceremony (opens in new tab) and procession through the streets of Windsor (opens in new tab).
Though they don't look it in their wedding portraits, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were reportedly (opens in new tab) "exhausted," as they sat laughing on the steps for this memorable, official photo.
"So after we’d done the set up [the family] shots, then we all went to the reception, and if the couple were going to have any energy after that, we were going to go into the rose garden and just take some intimate quick shots," said photographer Alexi Lubomirski. "So eventually we went out there, we had about three-and-a-half minutes to take some pictures, because everything was like clockwork, and it was just one of the those magical moments, when you are a photographer and everything falls into place."
After they got the shots, Lubomirski suggested the duo sit down on the steps and, according to him, "[Meghan] just slumped in between [Prince Harry's] legs." "There was this moment where they were just laughing because they were joking about how they were exhausted and finally it’s all over," Lubomirski told Us Weekly. (opens in new tab)
The photographer revealed the two were just looking at each other and laughing, and captured the candid moment in this final black-and-white shot. "It wasn’t actually until I got back to the hotel that I looked at [the photo], and it was just amazing—a very happy moment," Lubomirski said. He, too, had a long day it seemed as Lubomirski took all the portraits of the royal family and even had to bribe the children with Smarties candies (opens in new tab) so they'd behave for photos.
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Marina Liao is the former fashion news editor at MarieClaire.com, where she covered celebrity style (from Meghan Markle to Katie Holmes), fashion trends, and shopping advice, plus conducted original interviews with industry insiders. She's also had many opportunities to write content in other areas such as beauty, food, tech, and even home. Her previous fashion stints include POPSUGAR and Cosmopolitan.
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