When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot in 2018, it was the biggest event of the year. Guests quickly realized just how far the organizers went to keep things under wraps.
Famous faces from both the royal world and celebrity circles were there in person, while millions more watched the ceremony live from the comfort of their homes.
Although Meghan was no stranger to the spotlight thanks to her acting career—especially her role on Suits—nothing prepared her for the intense attention leading up to the wedding.
Like anyone else, the pressure took its toll on Meghan and Harry. Less than two years later, they stepped away from royal life and started fresh in the US with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
The big day had to run perfectly—after all, nobody wants their wedding turning into tabloid drama.
Tina Brown, author of Palace Papers, described the lead-up to the wedding as a complete “s*** show.” She said an insider told her it was “all drama, all the time,” and palace staff were “fed up” with the long list of demands from the couple.
To keep things from spiraling and prevent leaks to the press during the ceremony and party, the guards stepped in with a strict warning for everyone attending.
Photographer Alexi Lubomirski, who took the official photos of Meghan, Harry, and their family, shared on TikTok what guests were told when they arrived at the chapel.
He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please be careful what you are saying to each other because the world can lip-read.”
He added that’s why you often see guests covering their mouths while talking to one another.
In the clip, he says: “As you walk in, you see a lot of people sort of talking like this… You don’t know what you’re talking about, but everyone on these cameras is watching and lip-reading.”
While the event itself remained tightly guarded, the same can’t be said for the reports of what allegedly occurred before and after.
According to media coverage, tensions had reportedly flared between Meghan and Princess Kate in the weeks leading up to the wedding — particularly over Princess Charlotte’s dress, which Kate supposedly felt was too short.
Meghan later spoke about the incident in her televised interview with Oprah, saying: “A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining – yes, the issue was correct – about flower-girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings.”
She continued: “What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn’t do but that happened to me. And the people who were part of our wedding going to our comms team and saying, ‘I know this didn’t happen’. I don’t have to tell them what actually happened.”