Former Royal Butler Shares Why Harry and Meghan’s Unseen Wedding Photos are “Unprecedented”

Aside from the official wedding photographs released by royal couples, it’s not often that fans get to see more private moments from their big days. But on Tuesday, May 19, Meghan Markle shared two carousels of photos to celebrate her eighth wedding anniversary with Prince Harry, including plenty of intimate, never-before-seen snapshots.

Along with quiet moments inside St. George’s Chapel, the Duchess of Sussex posted images from Elton John’s private performance after the wedding, along with a carousel of photos from their first dance and reception. Speaking on behalf of OLBG, King Charles’s former butler, Grant Harrold, says, “I don’t think we’ve ever seen internal scenes from a senior royal wedding to this degree. It’s unprecedented.”

To date, no one has seen images from Prince William and Princess Kate’s 2011 wedding reception. And Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips—who is due to marry Harriet Sperling on June 6—caused a stir when he sold photos from his first wedding to Hello! in May 2008. The images included a young Kate Middleton partying on the dance floor and relaxed photos of the royals, who had no idea they’d be appearing in a magazine. However, Peter does not hold a title and isn’t a senior member of the Royal Family.

“The royals have strict ‘no camera’ rules at their weddings to stop this kind of happening,” Harrold says. “And it wasn’t just weddings. If we ever caught someone using a camera inside a royal home, we had to take the phone and delete the photos. They were really, really strict about it.”

Of Meghan's anniversary post, he adds, “These are intimate and personal moments, and while they are beautiful photos they’re also very interesting.” For one, the former royal butler noted that the pictures “don’t include any members of the Royal Family.”

Although the back of King Charles is shown on the side of one photo, no other members of the family are seen in the images, minus Prince William and Princess Kate’s nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.

Harrold says, “I imagine this was intentional and that they were very careful with the images they picked. I don’t think it was a snub or anything like that, but they know there would have been a high chance the palace would ask for them to be removed.”

As for the photos of the couple’s first dance, Harrold says Harry and Meghan “look really happy and in love, which is so nice to see. Harry is being very ‘Harry,’ which is so lovely." The former butler continues that the Duke of Sussex is "very jokey and funny" and a "goofball character," adding, "That’s the Harry I remember from behind the scenes.”