By Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released their official royal wedding portraits, taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski on Saturday, May 19. They took the portraits in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle after Meghan and Harry's carriage procession throughout Windsor.
The official portraits are a royal family tradition. Prince Harry's brother and best man, Prince William, had similar portraits taken after his wedding to Kate Middleton. William and Kate posed in Buckingham Palace's throne room after their wedding on April 29, 2011. Their photographer was Hugo Burnand, who also photographed Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles' 2005 wedding.
Though two of the portraits are extremely similar to William's, Harry and Meghan took a very different approach to their third portrait. Here's how the two photo shoots compare.
The couple's portrait
Harry and Meghan's couple portrait is the photo that is the most different from William and Kate's. In their photo, Harry and Meghan pose in a casual, black-and-white portrait. They are lounging on the steps of Windsor Castle, with Meghan looking off into the distance while Harry smiles at the camera. Meghan took her veil off for this portrait, while Kate kept hers on.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would like to thank everyone who took part in the celebrations of their wedding on Saturday," their Instagram caption reads. "They feel so lucky to have been able to share their day with all those gathered in Windsor and also all those who watched the wedding on television across the UK, Commonwealth, and around the world."
In their 2011 shoot, William and Kate's portrait is much more formal. William posed in his military garb, while Kate stood by his side holding her bouquet and wearing her Alexander McQueen gown.
Burnand gushed about the couple in an interview with The Guardian, and noted that since Kate is a photographer herself, she discussed the shoot with him beforehand. "I don't know what to say – I love them," he said. "They are so bloody nice. They are just so nice as individuals and as a pair, and they work so well together."
The bridesmaids and page boys
Meghan and Harry posed for a sweet photo alongside their bridesmaids and page boys, Florence van Cutsem, Remi Litt, Rylan Litt, Ivy Mulroney, John Mulroney, Brian Mulroney, Zalie Warren, Jasper Dyer, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte. Their photo is quite similar to William and Kate's, as the two of them are seated and surrounded by the children.
William and Kate also posed for photos with their bridesmaids and page boys, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Eliza Lopes, Grace van Cutsem, Louise Windsor, Tom Pettifer, and William Lowther-Pinkerton. Burnand later said he had to coax the kids with sweets to make them cooperate. "When you look at those individual children in that picture you are seeing those children and their characters," he told the Guardian. "That's the same with the bride and groom in the middle of the picture as well. That's really them. There's no time for direction."
The big family photo
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a photo of the full family, plus the bridesmaids and page boys. The photo features the Queen and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Kate, and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. The image is a bit more intimate than William and Kate's family portrait, likely because Meghan's mother was her only family member present. This is likely also why Prince William and Duchess Kate are on the bride's side of this portrait.
William and Kate also took a large group photo, featuring the bridesmaids and page boys, the Queen and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, Prince Harry, Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her siblings, James and Pippa Middleton. There, the Queen and Prince Philip were the only people seated, while in Harry and Meghan's shoot, Kate is also seated holding Princess Charlotte.
Every photo you need to see from the Royal Wedding
