The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were married on May 19, 2018, in front of thousands of people across the globe. However, they were forced to correct the record when they acknowledged having a second, secret wedding that “no one knows” about.
This week, Prince Harry and Meghan will commemorate two significant anniversaries: their official sixth wedding anniversary and the six years since their “magical” garden ceremony in which they exchanged vows in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Sussexes’ private ceremony
The moment they exchanged vows at their previous residence, Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, where Harry proposed in 2017, was detailed in Harry’s book Spare, which was published in January 2023.
Days later, at his official wedding ceremony, Harry recalled their “unofficial” celebration, which was only observed by their pet dogs.
Though he had already performed a similar ceremony in our garden a few days earlier, with just the two of us and Guy and Pula as the only witnesses, the archbishop arrived at the formal part, spoke the few words that made us The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, titles bestowed by Granny, and he joined us until death parted us. Unofficial, binding only in our hearts,” the writer penned.
During their Oprah Winfrey interview, they had made their first remarks about their covert marriage. “You know, three days before our wedding, we got married,” Meghan replied. Nobody is aware of that. Before Harry jokingly sang, “Just the three of us,” in reference to Bill Withers’s song, she continued, “The vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
The couple wanted their “union” to stay between them, according to Meghan, even though the main event was a “spectacle” for everyone to witness. It was probably more of a blessing that there weren’t the required two witnesses and the event didn’t take place in a licensed space.
Later, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, attested to the fact that the formal ceremony took place on May 19. “The Saturday was the official wedding day. I would have committed a serious criminal offense if I had signed the marriage certificate knowing it was false, as it is a legally binding document,” Welby reportedly stated, as reported by CNN.
Photo: © WPA Pool
He cryptically continued, protecting the privacy of the happy couple: “So, you can make what you like of that.” However, the official wedding took place on Saturday; I won’t discuss the details of any previous meetings.”
Meghan and Harry’s wedding reception
Meghan looked stunning for her legal wedding to Harry, who was dressed in his black military uniform, in her Givenchy wedding dress. Following their vows exchanged at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle hosted the couple’s wedding reception.
Images from the pair’s Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan reveal the Duke crying as he raised a glass with his new bride and before the couple used a sword to cut their lemon and elderflower wedding cake.
Photo: © Getty Images
At their private evening reception at Frogmore House, Meghan later changed into a backless halterneck gown by Stella McCartney, while Harry wore a black suit. They partied on the dance floor and watched fireworks.
