Top News

Meghan Markle has shared a series of intimate, never-before-seen photographs from her wedding to Prince Harry to mark the couple's eighth anniversary, and King Charles's former butler has described the images as "unprecedented" for a senior royal wedding.

Across two image carousels posted to mark the date, the Duchess gave followers a glimpse behind the curtain of one of the most watched weddings in recent history, from hushed scenes within St George's Chapel to Elton John performing privately for guests, and the newlyweds taking to the floor for their first dance.

Grant Harrold, King Charles's former butler, speaking on behalf of OLBG, said the images broke new ground. "I don't think we've ever seen internal scenes from a senior royal wedding to this degree. It's unprecedented," he said.

According to Marie Claire, Harrold pointed out that no photographs from Prince William and the Princess of Wales's 2011 wedding reception have ever been made public, a contrast that underlines just how unusual Meghan's decision to share the images is. He also noted that the pictures "don't include any members of the Royal Family", an observation that adds an intriguing dimension to the release.

The former butler explained that royal households operate under strict rules around photography. "The royals have strict 'no camera' rules at their weddings to stop this kind of happening," he said. "And it wasn't just weddings. If we ever caught someone using a camera inside a royal home, we had to take the phone and delete the photos. They were really, really strict about it."

He described the anniversary images as "intimate and personal moments" and said that while they were "beautiful photos they're also very interesting."

Reflecting on the first dance images in particular, Harrold said the couple radiated joy. "Harry and Meghan look really happy and in love, which is so nice to see. Harry is being very 'Harry,' which is so lovely," he said. The former butler described the Duke of Sussex as "very jokey and funny" and a "goofball character," adding: "That's the Harry I remember from behind the scenes."

The release comes ahead of a separate royal wedding story: Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips is due to marry Harriet Sperling on 6 June. It is not the first time royal wedding photographs have made headlines - Phillips attracted controversy in 2008 after licensing images from his first wedding to Hello! magazine, among them shots of a young Kate Middleton enjoying herself on the dance floor alongside other royals who were unaware the pictures would be published. Unlike senior working royals, Phillips does not hold a title.