Meghan Markle and Prince Harry both gave speeches at the private celebrations on their wedding day in 2018, and the new Duchess of Sussex made a comment on her royal life so far
It has been seven years since Meghan Markle walked down the aisle of St George’s Chapel to marry Prince Harry in an unforgettable wedding. The day has been a beautiful celebration of the couple’s love, and people around the world came together to toast the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Once the televised church service was over, the newlyweds and their guests headed to a lunchtime reception followed by an evening party hosted by harry’s now estranged father King Charles at Frogmore House. Insiders say it was quite the party, with guests tucking into ‘dirty burgers’ and candyfloss and drinking themed cocktails including one named ‘When Harry Met Meghan’ – a play on the hit romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.
When it came to the speeches, Meghan proved she was the modern bride by joining her new husband to say a few words – and it appears to left many speechless. In her moving speech, she said she had “found her prince”, praised the late Queen and thanked Charles for stepping in at the last minute to walk her down the aisle.
But royal biographers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim that Meghan hinted at how she had not been able to use her voice during her time as part of the Royal Family in the speech. In the book Finding Freedom, they write: “A first for a royal bride, the move reinforced the idea that this American was no typical duchess.
“‘You could literally hear a pin drop’, said a close confidant, who described the speech as a momentous occasion even for the Americans. ‘For her to have been quiet for as long as she had, and then have this really safe space where she could give these heartfelt remarks, it was a really special moment’, the source said.
“‘She spent so many years, whether on campus, on TV, or advocating for women to be empowered, speaking out. And she’s respected that. She does have a lot of respect for the family and the institution that she has joined. But it’s just a different way of living. We’d missed hearing her speak’. And apparently Meghan felt the same way, because she laughed, ‘I know it’s been a while’.”
Years later, Meghan spoke directly on the issue of not having a voice during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying she had been silenced and comparing herself to The Little Mermaid. She said she was shocked by the parallels between herself and the cartoon princess who also ‘lost her voice’ after marrying royalty.
She recalled a day when she sat down at the couple’s former home, Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, to watch the movie on TV. “Now, who as an adult really watches The Little Mermaid?” she joked to Oprah. “But it came on and I was like, well, I’m just here all the time, so I may as well watch this.
“And I went ‘Oh my God, she falls in love with a prince and because of that she has to lose her voice’. “But by the end, she gets her voice back,” she added.
In her and Harry’s explosive Netflix series released in 2022, Meghan revealed what exactly she said in her wedding day speech. In the last episode of the six-part series, Meghan reads the speech from her phone while sat beside Harry and says her first line “got a big laugh” from guests.
She then read out: “Onto the crux of why I wanted to speak tonight. First of all, it’s been a while. Continuing to recall her speech, Meghan goes on: “But mostly I wanted to share a story. A story about the man that I love and the way that we met.
“Let’s call this a modern fairytale. Once upon a time, there was a girl from LA. Some people called her ‘an actress’. And there was a guy from London. Some people called him ‘a prince’. All of those people didn’t fully get it. Because this is the love story of a boy and a girl who were meant to be together.
“They meet on July 3rd, 2016 in London and they giggle endlessly. “They have their second date and he brings her cupcakes because it’s 4 July.’‘A bittersweet celebration’, he says. Ironic really. Her country’s independence from his country. Yet in this moment they know they don’t want to be independent from each other.
“And after a month of long-distance courtship, they settle into the quiet of Botswana. And amidst whatever momentary worries that creep in, they look at each other and think, whatever world we’re in. They would love and garden and travel and laugh, and rack up more air miles than any couple could have.
“And when the tides were rough, they squeezed each other tighter. ‘Nothing can break us,’ they’d say. ‘For this love, she was a fighter.’ “I appreciate, respect and honour you, my treasure, for the family we will create. And our love story that will last forever. “So I ask you to raise a glass to the astounding assurance that now life begins. And the everlasting knowing that, above all, love wins.”