Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Celebrate 6th Wedding Anniversary Following Africa Trip

Happy anniversary to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry!

Shortly after returning home to California following a three-day visit to Nigeria, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated six years of marriage on May 19.

Meghan (42) and Harry (39) held their royal wedding on May 19, 2018 at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The fairytale ceremony was attended by family and friends of the couple including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, future King Charles, future Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, attended the event and exited the church hand-in-hand with her daughter’s new father-in-law, who walked Meghan down the aisle during the ceremony.

After the church service, Meghan and Prince Harry took a horse-drawn carriage ride around Windsor to greet the crowds gathered in the streets. Then they had an afternoon reception in St. George’s Hall in the castle before changing outfits – Meghan in an elegant Stella McCartney dress for the occasion and Harry in a tuxedo – for the evening reception.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their royal wedding day on May 19, 2018.

AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty

Wedding album of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry! Check out 15 toast-worthy moments from their big day 6 years ago

IN Harry and Meghanreleased on Netflix in December 2022, the couple shared never-before-seen photos of their wedding festivities, including their first dance as husband and wife to Wilson Pickett’s “Land of 1,000 Dances.”

“I just really wanted the music to be fun. Even our first dance,” Meghan said on the show.

A source told PEOPLE at the time, “It was a big dance party, everyone was relaxing and enjoying themselves. Just a fun night and not stuffy at all.”

A book Finding freedom divided details of how Meghan and Prince Harry celebrated their wedding anniversary in a low-key way in 2019. Doria traveled to the UK to meet her grandson, Prince Archie, who was born a few weeks earlier on May 6, and had dinner together.

“On their first year of marriage, Harry and Meghan enjoyed a traditional Sunday lunch with Doria, her last meal before returning to LA,” authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote.

Prince Harry also presented Meghan with an eternity ring, which she debuted at Trooping the Color next month.

“Harry also surprised his wife of a year his junior with a ring he made with jeweler to the stars Lorraine Schwartz, a favorite of Meghan’s,” the authors said.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at their royal wedding on May 19, 2018.

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On tour with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Nigeria: Read People’s Diary!

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are parents to five-year-old son Prince Archie and two-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet, traditionally mark their wedding anniversary by exchanging gifts based on tradition.

“They love creating their own take on traditional wedding gifts,” a source previously told PEOPLE. “The first anniversary was on paper and Meghan wrote the wedding speech and had it framed.”

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at their royal wedding on May 19, 2018.

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On their second anniversary in 2020, shortly after they moved to California after retiring as working royals, “they both gave each other gifts based on ‘cotton.'” No doubt, it was a very creative and romantic gesture. since all their gifts are to each other.”

Leather is the traditional gift for the third anniversary, then fruit and flowers for four years and wood for five years.

According to Knotiron gifts are traditionally exchanged on the sixth anniversary.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Nigeria on May 11, 2024.

KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty

Meghan and Prince Harry traveled to Nigeria this month to champion their Archewell foundation’s youth mental health initiatives and promote Harry’s Invictus Games, which Nigeria first joined last year.

“I am so happy about the growth of Invictus and the inclusion of Nigeria,” the Duke of Sussex tells PEOPLE. “You know what Africa has meant to me over the years. It’s a very, very special place, and now I can include Nigeria [in Invictus]I am very happy.”

For Meghan, the trip also brought her closer to her roots. In 2022, a genealogical test revealed that she is 43% Nigerian.

“It was incredibly memorable and special,” Meghan says of their time in Nigeria. “That alone is the best souvenir to take with you – all the memories we’ve made.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Nigeria on May 10, 2024.

KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty

The parents of two children expect more opportunities to travel to advance their initiatives.

“There is so much that can be done from home and via Zoom, so we look forward to traveling more because work matters. Whether it’s the Archewell Foundation, Invictus or any other cause, there will always be a reason to meet people close to our heart work,” says Prince Harry.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education