Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry are the modern-day fairytale we deserve — and yet, it’s hard to believe we’ve been swooning over their magical marriage for a full five years now. That’s right, today marks the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary! Cheers to them!
From the first whispers of a possible romance between the former Suits actress and former bad boy of Kensington Palace to a wedding straight out of a Disney cartoon, the royal power couple has captured hearts across the globe. After all, don’t all little girls daydream of being set up on a blind date with a real-life prince?
But, of course, it hasn’t been all unicorns and rainbows for Markle and Harry. The couple has weathered so many storms and media scandals that you’d think they’ve been married for a decade, not a few short years. Through it all, Markle has been the picture of grace and poise. And Harry has pushed back against every royal protocol set in stone to defend and support his wife.
Ahead, the timeline of a love that redefined a stale monarchy, upended centuries of tradition and made us all believe in true love.
A version of this article was originally published April 2019.
2016 — The Blind Date of All Blind Dates
July 2016 — Meghan and Harry were set up on a blind date by mutual friend, Violet von Westenholz. In a later interview about their successful date, Harry said, “I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her,” Harry said of their blind date. “I was like, I’m really going to have to up my game here.”
November 2016 — As media outlets hounded Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, Harry released a rare statement through Kensington Palace to confirm the relationship and condemn the “outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and Web article comments.”
December, 2016 — Meghan and Harry were snapped getting into the holiday spirit as they bought a Christmas tree together during a wintery night in London.
2017 — Things Are Getting Serious
March 2017 — Meghan and Harry jet off to sunny Jamaica to attend the wedding of one of Harry’s friends, Tom “Skipp” Inskip.
April 2017 — All signs point to big things as Meghan shuts down her lifestyle blog, The Tig. The rumor mill amps up with talk of an impending engagement.
May, 2017 — Meghan is officially Harry’s plus one at the wedding reception of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews.
September, 2017 —Meghan is Vanity Fair’s cover girl as she openly discusses her relatioship with Harry for the first time. “We’re a couple. We’re in love,” she says to Vogue. “I’m sure there will be a time when we have to come forward and present ourselves, and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”
The same month, the two appear for their first major outing together at the Invictus Game, a cause near and dear to Harry.
2017 — It’s Official!
November 2017 — The couple is officially engaged! Meghan and Harry appear for their first of many photo calls in the now infamous engagement photos beamed around the world.
2017 — A Royal Christmas
December 2017 — Meghan joins the royal family for her first Christmas Day church services in Sandringham, Norfolk. The public gets to see Meghan’s first ever curtsey to Queen Elizabeth II.
2018 — Time to Get to Work
January 2018 — As wedding preparations go into full affect, Meghan jumps right into a hectic royal schedule along with Harry. She’s a natural.
2018 — First Double Royal Function
February 2018 — Meghan and Harry have their first official engagement with Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum.
2018 — A Fairytale Wedding
May 2018 — After months of negative press and a defamatory media blitz from Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, half-sister, Samantha Grant and half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., Meghan wed Harry during a fairytale ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. The ceremony and subsequent reception were attended by Meghan’s mother, Ragland, and a who’s who of British royalty and Hollywood celebrity. Oprah was there so you know they’re going to live happily ever after!
2018 — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
June 2018 — Meghan settles in just fine at her first official engagements as a royal. At the Trooping the Color ceremony, eagle-eyed fans noticed Prince Harry helping his new wife time her curtsey with the rest of the royals. Get you a hubby who can watch out for you like Harry does for Meghan.
2018 — Doria Ragland’s First Function
September 2018 — Doria Ragland makes her first appearance at a royal event alongside her daughter and new son-in-law, Prince Harry. The trio attend the launch of a cookbook with recipes from women affected by London’s Grenfell Tower fire.
2018 — A Wedding & a Baby Rumor
October 12, 2018 — It was the coat that launched a thousand rumors. Meghan’s partially buttoned, navy Givenchy coat led to a manic excitement about the possibilitity that maybe, probably, definitely the duchess was trying to hide something as she and Harry arrived for Princess Eugenie and Jacks Brooksbank’s wedding.
2018 — Baby Sussex on Board
October 15, 2018 — Kensington Palace’s official Instagram account confirmed the news fans had been suspecting: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a Baby Sussex in the oven.
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019,” the official announcement read.
It was later revealed that the newlyweds were indeed hiding signs of Meghan’s pregnancy and shared the good news with the queen and the rest of the family at Princess Eugenie’s wedding.
2018 — A Royal Rom-Com is Born
October 2018 — The couple packed on the PDA during their 16-day, 76-engagement official royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. The images beamed across the globe showed the expectant parents looking like they were walking through the rom-com of our dreams.
2019 — Setting Out on Their Own
April 2019 — Meghan and Harry officially part ways with Kate and Prince William when the expectant parents launch their own social media account, separating from the Kensington Palace channel they shared with Will and Kate.
They also physically parted ways with all things Kensington Palace with a move into the newly-renovated Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. The larger, and more private, residence offers 10 bedrooms for their growing family, as opposed to the two bedroom apartment they lived in at Kensington Palace.
2019 — Hello, Baby Archie
May 2019 — Welcome to the world, Baby Archie! Archie was born early in May, about a year after the couple married at Windsor Castle.
Meghan and Harry had tried to keep his actual date of birth a secret but in an interview weeks after Archie was born Harry had a minor slip up saying, “Everyone says that babies change so much over two weeks, so we’re sort of monitoring how this changing process happens over this next month really.”
While that quote doesn’t necessarily tell us when Archie was born fans were up in arms trying to figure it out.
2019 — Knight in Shining Armor
October 2019 — Following Meghan and Harry’s documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey airing Meghan candidly spoke about some of the struggles she’s faced being in the spotlight.
“Especially as a woman, it’s really — it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom and trying to be a newlywed,” when asked by Bradby about the relentless pressure from British tabloids. “And also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
Seeing Meghan’s pain, according to a source, Prince Harry has done all that he can do try and protect his wife.
2020 — The ‘Gram Heard ‘Round the World
January 8, 2020 — On Jan. 8, 2020, Harry and Meghan announced their exit from the royal family via Instagram post, reportedly taking some members of the Firm by surprise. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” they wrote. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”
“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America,” the post continued, “”ontinuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”
2020 — First Joint Re-Appearance in London
March 2020 — The world waited with bated breath to see Meghan and Harry return to London to wrap up their royal duties, and no one was disappointed. The pair made their big debut attending the Endeavor Fund Awards, where their joy was on full display.
The couple even got to witness an Endeavor Award winner pop a surprise proposal… a moment that got both Meghan and Harry misty-eyed.
2020 — A Brief Reunion
March 2020 — As a couple, Harry and Meghan had not seen his brother Prince William and Kate Middleton in months when they four reunited for the U.K.’s Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9.
Not surprisingly, much was made of how little the couples interacted during this public outing. However, it was undoubtedly a busy week for the Sussexes. And several sources insist Kate Middleton was working through anxiety over Harry and Meghan leaving the royal family.
2020 — Movin’ Out West
March 2020 — Meghan, Harry, and the newest member of their family, baby Archie moved to sunny Los Angeles for a fresh start since announcing their leaving the royal family.
The ex-royals had been living in Vancouver but a source told The Sun they flew to Los Angeles early March, the perfect place for Meghan and Harry start new careers as sources say they have a big support network there.
Meghan has already secured her first job, narrating Disney’s Documentary Elephants.
2020 — Au Revoir, Royal Family
March 2020 — As of March 31, 2020, Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, are officially no longer senior members of the royal family and are embarking on a new chapter, playing by their rules.
2020 — Putting Down Roots
August 2020 — By the summer of 2020, sources have confirmed that Harry and Meghan have snapped up a home in the star-studded Montecito community in Santa Barbara, California, with neighbors like Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, and Ellen DeGeneres.
2020 — Archewell Is Born
December 2020 — By December of this year, Harry and Meghan have launched their own new nonprofit organization Archewell along with podcast Archewell Audio, on which we hear baby Archie’s voice for the first time. The organization describes its mission as “compassion in action:” “Through our non-profit work, as well as creative activations, we drive systemic cultural change across all communities, one act of compassion at a time.”
2021 — And Baby Makes Four!
February 14, 2021 — After bravely coming forward about experiencing a miscarriage in the summer of 2020, the Duchess shared some good news on Valentine’s Day of 2021: she and Harry were expecting a little sib for Archie! The loving photo in which she debuted her baby bump is one of our all-time favorite pics of the couple.
2021 — Oprah Gets Some Answers
March 7, 2021 — Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey held the world captive as they shared exactly why they felt they had had to leave the royal family: conversations raising concerns about Archie’s skin tone, a failure to provide mental health support when Meghan started to feel suicidal, and a decision not to provide the couple with security were all high on the list.
2021 — Healing From Tragedy
April 2021 — The royal family had barely had time to absorb the shocking outcome of the Oprah interview when another tragedy struck: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh passed away at age 99 after a long hospital stay.
While Harry went to the UK to attend the funeral and be with his family, he was reported met with an icy reception and neither his father Charles nor his brother William trusted him enough to speak with him alone. He returned home to Meghan soon after he came.
2021 — Welcome Baby Lilibet!
June 2021 — On June 6, 2021, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they welcomed their second child, a baby girl, on June 4. The couple gave their daughter a name that honors both Queen Elizabeth II and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. “It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world,” the statement read.
2021 — A Trip To The Big Apple
September 2021 — Roughly three months after Lilibet Diana’s birth, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their first trip away from their children. The couple went to New York City, where they had a series of engagements at the Freedom Tower, a Global Citizen Live event, and an evening appearance. The two made the rounds discussing causes and issues that are incredibly important to them.
2021 — First Family of Four Photo
December 2021 — Things went a bit quiet from the Sussex camp as we went into the 2021 holiday season. But by the time holiday cards were making the rounds, the couple chose to share their first precious family of four photo. “This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet to the world,” the holiday card read, featuring a candid snapshot of Meghan holding Lili in the air and beaming at her baby girl, as Harry smiled brightly next to his wife and daughter, while holding little Archie in his lap.
“Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa,’ and Lili made us a family. As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families — from those being relocated from Afghanistan, to American families in need of paid parental leave. Wishing you a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year, from our family to yours!”
2022 — A Significant Honor
February2022 — by late February 2022, Harry and Meghan were back to making public apperances, and there was one in particular that was especially significant. On February 26, the couple accepted the President’s Award for their public service through their Archewell foundation at the NAACP Image Awards.
“It’s inspiring to think about the legacy of the Image Awards, which began shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed into law,” Meghan said during the couple’s speech. “Today, we can continue that legacy by re-establishing federal voting protections in our country and fulfilling the work of civil rights giants, like the late John Lewis.”
“We are so deeply humbled to be here in the company of so many illustrious awardees,” Harry added. “Before I begin, we would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine, who urgently need our continued support as a global community. I also echo the immense gratitude for tonight, both for this award and this community for welcoming me so warmly. I think it’s safe to say that I come from a very different background from my incredible wife, yet our lives were brought together for a reason.”
2022 — Reuniting With Her Majesty
April2022 — On their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games, Meghan and Harry paid a special visit to Queen Elizabeth II. The meeting wasn’t publicized until days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunited with the monarch. Harry spoke fondly about being reunited with his grandmother, and we’d like to think the three discussed plans for the Platinum Jubilee — which the couple plan to attend in June 2022.
2022 — The Netflix Docuseries arrives
December 2022 — Meghan and Harry release their bombshell Netflix docuseries, exploring their romance and the fraught relationship with the press and royal family which led to them leaving the country altogether.
“What people need to understand is, as far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything that she was being put through, they had been put through as well,” Harry explained, perPEOPLE. “So it was almost like a rite of passage and some of the members of the family were like, ‘My wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?’ And I said the difference here is the race element.”
2023 – Becoming Producers
February 2023 – Among the exciting next steps for the duo, according to insiders, is a reported deal that Harry and Meghan will become producers for romcoms and feel-good movies. “There will be more of a heavy focus on fictional, scripted content,” an insider told Telegraph. “It will be romcoms, feel-good and light-hearted programs.” We can’t wait!
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