Meghan Markle broke royal protocol with one key move at her wedding to Prince Harry – and her new husband approved, according to reports. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex exchanged vows at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in a televised ceremony in May 2018 before leading their guests to a lunchtime reception, followed by an evening party hosted by King Charles III.
Reports ahead of the nuptials suggested Meghan was planning to defy royal convention by delivering a speech, and eye-witness accounts confirmed that she did so, making an “affectionate” address at the reception. A source told the Sunday Times Prince Harry was in full support of the move away from tradition, claiming he thought it was “a great idea”.
Meghan reflected on the speech in the couple’s 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry and Meghan, explaining that she wanted to “share a story about the man that I love and the way that we met”.
The speech read: “Let’s call this a modern fairytale. Once upon a time, there was a girl from LA. Some people called her an actress. And there was a guy from London. Some people called him a prince.
“None of those people fully got it. Because this is the love story of a boy and a girl who were meant to be together.”
Addressing Harry directly, Meghan continued: “I appreciate, respect and honour you, my treasure, for the family we will create. And our love story that will last forever.”
Harry also delivered an “off-the-cuff” speech at the reception, according to guests. One told People Magazine: “He promised that all the Americans wouldn’t steal the swords and said, ‘Please, when you leave, be quiet as you don’t want to wake the neighbours.'”
This included shots of the couple dancing and grinning, the ceremony itself, and Sir Elton John‘s performance.
She also posted a video of Harry singing “happy anniversary” to her Instagram story as he walked barefoot holding a cake with candles in it.
Their children Archie and Lilibet could be heard helping with the singing in the background.