Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s wedding has gone viral on TikTok due to Princess Eugenie’s reaction during the ceremony.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex tied the knot at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in a service broadcast to millions around the world and while excited Brits filled the streets outside.
At the time of the May 19, 2018, ceremony there were no public signs of the dramatic disintegration in royal relations that would take place over the months that followed.
Five years later, one royal family member’s sweet response to the couple’s nuptials has resurfaced on TikTok.
Princess Eugenie, Harry’s cousin and daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, appeared taken by the romance of the service around the time Harry lifted Meghan’s veil.
A clip of her expression was posted on TikTok, where it was viewed almost 875,000 times and liked 132,000 times.
The post switched the order so that it appeared as though Eugenie was reacting to the veil, though in the original broadcast it actually came seconds before as the congregation sung the hymn “Lord of all Hopefulness.”
One comment read: “Glad to know that Eugenie remains close to Harry Meghan and their children.”
Another read: “She was the only one who had his back when he decided to leave royalty, she knew he made the right decision not just for him but for his mother.”
A third said: “The sparkle in Meghan’s eyes, I love them so much.”
Princess Eugenie holds a special place in the couple’s story because she knew Meghan before her relationship with Harry started.
Eugenie was also there when Harry first brought Meghan to his former home, Nottingham Cottage, at Kensington Palace.
He wrote in Spare: “I remember Euge hugging Meg, as if they were sisters,” and it would seem Meghan felt the same: “We chatted about Euge and [her now husband Jack Brooksbank], whom she loved.”
Eugenie was there the first time Meghan met Queen Elizabeth II, as the duchess described to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021: “We were going for lunch at Royal Lodge, which is where some other members of the family live, specifically Andrew and Fergie, and Eugenie and Beatrice would spend a lot of time there.
“Eugenie and I had known each other before I knew Harry, so that was comfortable and it turned out the queen was finishing a church service in Windsor and so she was going to be at the house.”
And, hours before their relationship became known to the world for the first time, they had a final night of freedom at an apocalypse themed Halloween party with Eugenie: “We invited Euge and Jack to join us for Halloween. And Meg’s best friend Markus. Toronto’s Soho House was having a big party and the theme was ‘Apocalypse.’ Dress accordingly.”
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
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