Time to party — or take a nap! Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan were up for hours on their wedding day, so it’s not surprising that they were a bit tired before they even hit up the evening reception.
After their first post-ceremony gathering, which was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, the couple posed alone for photographer Alexi Lubomirski outside. As if that weren’t pressure enough, they only had less than five minutes (seriously, the schedule was tight!) to get the perfect moment.
“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,” Lubomirski explained to reporters on Wednesday, May 23. “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.”
He continued: “You have Windsor Castle in the background, the sun is setting just over the top of Windsor Castle behind them, it is just the most serene beautiful light. They are in love, walking around this beautiful garden, and then we walked around for a bit, and then just got pictures of them. And they are in this elated state of mind.”
Before wrapping up, Lubomirski suggested that Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, sit on the stairs for a final snap. This decision led to the stunning black-and-white shot where the pair are laughing — and for good reason.
“I said finally, ‘OK, let’s go back. You can go back to your thing now, but listen, just before you go in, let’s sit down on these stairs.’ And she just slumped in between his legs, and there was this moment where they were just laughing because they were joking about how they were exhausted and finally it’s all over,” he recalled. “And they just looked at each other and they were just laughing, and it was this just beautiful moment. … It wasn’t actually until I got back to the hotel that I looked at it, and it was just amazing — a very happy moment.”
Afterward, the newlyweds would make a quick wardrobe change before celebrating with 200 close family and friends at Frogmore House. Following a fireworks spectacle, they would sneak off together after 11 p.m. for some alone time.
