As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary today, one thing that has remained constant is that they are not afraid to stray from convention.
Harry didn’t ask Meghan’s father for permission to marry her, Meghan walked down part of the aisle alone and the ceremony was a fusion of two cultures.
The Duchess’s ‘fairytale wedding’ at St George’s Chapel couldn’t have been more different from royal weddings of the past, with guests calling it the most diverse major event in Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
At the time MailOnline reported that Meghan had launched her own ‘mini-revolution’ with her multicultural and US-influenced wedding, the likes of which Britain’s royals and the millions watching had never seen before.
Meghan even decided to give a speech at the reception, breaking protocol.
In America it is common for the couple, their best man, the maid of honour and parents to give speeches.
However for British royal weddings this honour is usually reserved for the best man, the host and the groom – letting the bride off the hook.
In the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the couple shared the speech in full for the first time.
Harry and Meghan wave from the Ascot Landau Carriage during their carriage procession on the Long Walk as they head back towards Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony
The couple will celebrate their seven year wedding anniversary this month, which is symbolised by wool and copper
Charles is pictured walking Meghan, a divorcee and former actress, to the altar on her wedding day
She read from her notes: ‘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.
‘All of those people didn’t fully get it. Because this is the love story of a boy and a girl who were meant to be together.’
She spoke about their first dates and their memorable trip to Botswana.
‘They would love and garden and travel and laugh, and rack up more air miles than any couple could have,’ she added.
‘I’ve always valued independence. I’ve always been outspoken, especially about women’s rights, and that’s the sad irony of the last four years, I’ve advocated for so long for women to use their voice. And then I was silent.’
Meghan certainly was not silent about the issues she faced within the Royal Family following the wedding.
Their relations have been strained since she started dating Harry in the summer of 2016, growing more tense after the wedding and then finally reaching a breaking point after ‘Megxit’ in 2020.
Harry and Meghan share a kiss as they leave their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel
Meghan launched her own ‘mini-revolution’ as she married Harry in a multi-cultural and US-influenced wedding, the likes of which Britain’s royals had never seen before
‘Charles got his own thank you for stepping in to fill the role of her father,’ Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote
Charles and Meghan’s relationship started off strong, with reports that he was acting as her ‘mentor’ by educating her on royal and constitutional history as they shared an interest in history, art and culture.
He also supported their move to Frogmore, paying out tens of thousands of pounds on fixtures and fittings for their new home, and allowed them to split away from William and Kate at Kensington Palace and establish their own court.
But Charles was reportedly left ‘deeply hurt’ by Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah in 2021, where she claimed ‘concerns’ had been raised over their child Archie’s skin colour.
At the end of her speech she declared, ‘nothing can break us’ and said that their love was a ‘fighter’.
Royal biographers Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie wrote in their book Finding Freedom: ‘The bride took her moment at the mic to express her appreciation to the Queen for warmly welcoming her into the fold from the start.
‘Charles got his own thank you for stepping in to fill the role of her father in escorting her down the aisle and for his courtesy in helping her mother through unfamiliar territory.
‘Doria [Meghan’s mother] too, was thanked for her support and wisdom. The bulk of her praise, though, went to Harry, the prince she had been fixed up with by chance and who continued to shatter her every expectation.’
MailOnline reported at the time that Meghan’s short speech was yet another part of her modernising mini-revolution of the Royal Family because royal brides usually leave it to the groom to address guests.
The actual wedding day happened on a Saturday, swerving the royal convention to have weddings on weekdays
Meghan’s short speech was also a break with royal convention, because brides usually leave it to the groom to address guests
Durand and Scobie said that Meghan used her speech to ‘express her appreciation to the Queen for warmly welcoming her into the fold from the start’
The union between Harry and Meghan, a former actress and divorcee, would always stray from convention.
Even before the nuptials had begun, Harry made it clear he would not be asking Meghan’s father’s permission to marry – even if he had to get his grandmother’s approval.
The actual wedding day happened on a Saturday, swerving the royal convention to have weddings on weekdays.
But this rule has been broken before – including when Charles and Camilla moved the date of their wedding to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II on April 8, 2005.
Despite being an Anglican church service it had a distinctly American feel, with a US bishop delivering a passionate address that appeared to make some royals snigger and a gospel choir filling the chapel with music from Ben E. King and Etta James.
And perhaps most surprisingly, Meghan let her guard down during a carriage ride through crowds in Windsor after the wedding, seeming to forget she was being watched from every angle.
Meghan reportedly said ‘Oh f***’ during a carriage ride through crowds in Windsor moments after the wedding
She is believed to have said ‘oh f***’, which is obviously not the level of decorum expected from royals in public.
Charles walked Meghan part of the way down the aisle, which he was more than happy to do.
But Meghan decided to walk the rest of the way herself to prove a point of her independence.
As the Duke and Duchess celebrate seven years of marriage, they are likely to reflect on how their union challenged centuries old custom and tradition that their predecessors dare not confront.
