When it comes to royal weddings, every detail, from the dress, the decorations, the service, the guest list, and the menu, is meticulously planned to ensure it goes off without a hitch.
They are, after all, events of national importance, not a regular family affair.
But the high profile nature of the events often means greater scrutiny, which can understandably lead to stress.
Prince Harry admitted in his memoir while drinking with friends on the eve of his wedding in April 2018, one of them commented he ‘seemed a bit distracted’, with him replying: ‘Yes, well. There’s been a lot going on.’
He wasn’t lying.
In the leadup to his and Meghan Markle’s big day there had been reports of numerous rows, ranging from disputes over the catering, a fight over the tiara, and an argument with the then Dutchess of Cambridge Catherine over a bridesmaid dress that ended in tears.
So when Harry and Meghan walked into the same venue they got married in, St George’s Chapel near Windsor Castle, five months later for his cousin Eugene’s wedding – he noticed she had decided to do things differently.
Although both were lavish celebrations, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s daughter had opted for a more traditional ceremony and invited 150 more guests than her older cousin.
But while the Sussexes waited in the church for the ceremony to begin, Harry seemed to marvel at the differences – to the apparent annoyance of his wife.
Meghan Markle appeared to tell off Prince Harry in St George’s Chapel before Princess Eugenie walked down the aisle in October 2018
It appears Harry had mentioned the differences in the chapel compared to their big day five months prior, but Meghan gesticulated at him before turning away to speak with Zara Tindall
Prince Harry looked sheepish after the brief exchange and then fiddled with his suit jacket
Footage from the event shows Meghan seeming telling him off as he fidgeted and interrupted her as she chatted to Zara Tindall.
She fired a few words back at him and briefly gesticulated before turning away from him to continue speaking with Zara.
Lip readers’ accounts of the conversation were inconclusive due to Harry turning his head to the side as he spoke to Meghan.
At one point the couple appeared to be discussing the chapel, as Harry said: ‘Everything’s different’.
To which Meghan snapped back: ‘Yes, of course, that’s the way.’
She then appeared to gesture with her hands at how full the venue was as she said: ‘Fill up as much.’
But Body language expert Judi James noted their strained poses and facial expressions.
She told Femail at the time: ‘Harry appears to be anxious and fidgety when they sit in their choir seats, rocking about and fiddling with the tails of his jacket.
The bride and groom: Jack Brooksbank and Eugenie leaving the chapel after the wedding ceremony
Princess Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank walk down the aisle as the choir sang after they were married at St George’s Chapel
Members of the Royal family sit in pews behind Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
Despite the awkwardness of the family drama displayed around them, Eugenie and Jack always looked like the ultimate loved-up couple
Princess Catherine speaks with Prince Harry and Meghan while waiting inside St George’s Chapel
‘Meghan looks calmer and politely sociable, chatting in a much more demure way to Zara in the seat in front.
‘Harry starts to talk to her and she performs a subtle eye-dart to her left, a bit like a mother whose kid is trying to interrupt her grown up conversation.
‘She turns to Harry and seems to have a slightly firmer conversation, raising her hands and then bringing them together and using a small head-baton gesture for emphasis.
‘Meghan leans back towards Zara, resuming her polite social smile along with their conversation.
‘Harry rubs his face, chews his lips and leans into the side of his seat like a child that has just been told to sit still.’
The apparent dressing down probably wasn’t how Harry imagined the day to go, as he and Meghan had specifically postponed the departure of their Royal Tour to Australia to attend the ceremony.
Although the Prince has now fallen out with most of his family, he and Eugenie are still friends as they have always had a special relationship.
Their connection is rooted not only in their shared experience as young royals and younger siblings finding their own path in life, but also as children of parents whose dirty laundry was aired in the press.
Childhood bond: Prince Harry (left) and Prince William with Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice on a family holiday to Klosters, Switzerland, in 1995
The bride and groom leaving Windsor Castle and heading to Royal Lodge for their evening reception
‘Out of all the Queen’s grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie have one of the most natural connections,’ Sussex-friendly authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in their biography Finding Freedom.
So of course Harry wanted to be there as she married Jack Brooksbank, the UK brand manager for Casamigos Tequila, a company founded by George Clooney.
But Eugenie wanted a more formal affair than Harry, requesting men wear morning coats to the nuptials on October 12.
In contrast Harry and Meghan gave men the option of wearing a morning coat, military uniform or a more casual lounge suit to their wedding at the same venue in May.
Eugenie’s ceremony was more muted than the Sussexes, with Zara Tindall telling Harry ‘it’s very quiet compared to the screaming at your wedding’.
The service was more traditional than Harry and Meghan’s more multicultural gospel ceremony, with a greater focus on hymns and choral music.
There was also opera star Andrea Bocelli’s spine-tingling rendition of Ave Maria but a reading by Princess Eugenie from The Great Gatsby was an unconventional touch as was using abstract art on the back cover of the Order of Service.
The guests included 850 royals, aristocrats, VIPs and friends, with the security operation to protect them costing taxpayers £2million.
Princess Eugenie of York and her husband Jack Brooksbank leave after their wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018
Prince Philip, Meghan, Prince William and Catherine walk out together at the wedding
However the Queen and the Duke of York paid for the wedding from their own funds, the Palace said.
A-listers at the wedding included Naomi Campbell, Liv Tyler, Demi Moore, Robbie Williams, Ellie Goulding, James Blunt and Kate Moss.
And thousands of members of the public lined the streets of Windsor to catch a glimpse of the couple whose bridesmaids and pageboys included Princess Charlotte and Prince George.
Brooksbank drove his wife to the reception at Royal Lodge in an Aston Martin DB10, one of the eight made for the 007 movie Spectre.
It was reported at the time that Harry and Meghan were keen not to overshadow the biggest day of the couple’s life, and instead of walking through the main entrance they entered via a side door followed by William and Kate.
But it later emerged that the Sussexes were indeed happy to steal some of Eugenie’s attention by sharing their own good news.
They were pregnant with their first child, Archie – and though some were delighted to hear about the news, choosing to share the the announcement at his cousin’s wedding left some in the family a little disgruntled.
‘The various gatherings connected to the wedding would give us a chance to pull aside family members one by one and tell them our good news,’ Harry wrote in his memoir Spare.
Prince Harry, with his wife Meghan, talking to the late Queen Elizabeth outside St George’s Chapel after Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding in 2018
Sarah Ferguson, pictured wearing a Eugenie bracelet, wanted the whole day to be about her daughter and was reportedly left ‘furious’ after Harry and Meghan told guests they were expecting a baby
The bride’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, spots people she knows as she arrives at the wedding
They told Prince Charles shortly before Eugenie and Jack’s drinks reception at Windsor while he was in his study.
Charles was ‘delighted to learn that he was going to be a grandfather for a fourth time,’ Harry wrote.
The Duke and Duchess also informed Prince William later on, after the drinks reception, with Kate later congratulating them.
The Queen and Prince Philip were also told in person at the wedding celebrations.
However, the big news coming at the same time as Eugenie’s and Jack’s celebrations was not welcomed by everyone in the Royal Family.
‘Many wondered why Meghan chose to reveal her news on the bride’s big day,’ Tom Bower wrote in his book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors.
Eugenie and her mother, Sarah Ferguson, were particularly displeased by the timing and were said to be ‘furious’.
‘Meghan put her foot in it when she decided that it would be the ideal moment to announce that she and Harry were expecting their first child.
‘This was a huge social gaffe, even if you were not a Royal stealing the limelight from Eugenie, who was furious, as was her mother, Sarah,’ wrote Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett in Royals at War: The Untold Story of Harry And Meghan’s Shocking Split With The House Of Windsor.
Princess Eugenie arriving at her wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on October 12, 2018
Since their big day, the couple have had two sons. Pictured, Eugenie and Jack with their eldest son August in February 2021
Their appearance at the event caused the social media rumour mill to go into overdrive after Meghan wore a wide-fitting Givenchy coat to the service Harry was spotted repeatedly rubbing her lower back.
The couple made their official baby announcement to the public through official channels via Kensington Palace days later on October 15, 2018.
But Harry and Meghan’s dramas seemed to be a relatively minor episode in an otherwise hugely successful day.
Even Fergie and Prince Philip put aside their differences and were pictured together for the first time in 26 years.
Philip never forgave Fergie for the notorious occasion she was pictured having American financial advisor John Bryant suck her toes in 1992.
She and Prince Andrew divorced in 1996, and despite now living together at the grand Royal Lodge, they were not allowed to remarry because Philip forbade it.
Despite the awkwardness of the family drama displayed around them, Eugenie and Jack always looked like the ultimate loved-up couple.
Since their big day, they have had two sons, August, born on February 9, 2021, and Ernest, on May 30, 2023.
And Eugenie seems to have forgiven Harry for upstaging her day by dropping the news of Meghan’s pregnancy, as the cousins are still reportedly close.
