Photographer recalls Harry and Meghan's wedding as 'bizarre day'

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The photographer hired to take the official portraits of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at their wedding shared what he says was a “bizarre day,” including a warning that was issued to guests.

In a 10-minute video posted to TikTok to mark the seventh anniversary of the royal nuptials, Alexi Lubomirski revealed how he initially thought it was a prank when a caller from Kensington Palace asked him if he was available to take Harry and Meghan’s engagement photos in 2017.

Lubomirski said he soon developed a working relationship with the couple and, a year later, was invited to attend the May 19, 2018  wedding. A month after the invite, he was asked to take the official photos.

“For two months before the wedding, I would constantly get messages on Instagram saying, ‘Don’t screw it up. This is a historical document. Don’t mess it up. No pressure,'” he said.

“And, so, there was a lot of pressure.”

The English photographer described the scene when he arrived at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle with his wife.

“It was such a bizarre day because you are arriving at this royal wedding and, as you enter, the soldiers at the front gate, they tell you, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please be careful what you are saying to each other because the world can lip read,'” he said.

He explained that a lot of the wedding guests would use their hands to partially cover their mouths as photographers and media from around the world documented their arrival.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, but everyone on these cameras is watching and lip-reading,” he added.

Following the ceremony, Lubomirski said he had the daunting task of assembling members of the Royal Family for their official portraits.

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He recalled asking Prince Harry for tips leading up to the big day, and was told that when taking photos of Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, he needed to be quick.

“(He said), ‘You know, they’re very old, they’ve taken so many pictures in their life. If you don’t get it quickly, they’re going to just move out,'” Lubomirski said.

At one point, he told the Queen it would take five more minutes to set up a shot.

“It’s not me you need to worry about,” the monarch responded, pointing to her husband.

When it came time to have younger children pose for photos, Lubomirski said he remembered overhearing a nanny offering a bribe of candy if they behaved.

“They’re all running around, and I could see the Queen shuffling in her seat,” he recalled. “So I suddenly shouted, ‘Who likes Smarties? Harry suddenly said, ‘Me!’ and everyone laughed and smiled.”