Prince Harry put future wife Meghan Markle at ease during a tense Commonwealth celebration in 2018, two months before their wedding and as one of her first official events as a member of the royal family
Touching footage of Prince Harry making then-fiancée Meghan Markle laugh in the middle of an official state event. The 40-year-old Prince and the 43-year-old Suits actress tied-the-knot in May 2018 – and two months earlier had attended the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.
Among those performing at the state event – which was devised to celebrate the member states of the Commonwealth – was One Direction star Liam Payne; who tragically died last year at the age of 31. Performing alongside two acoustic guitarists at the 2018 event, Liam sang a cover version of the John Mayer hit Waiting on the World to Change.
After completing his performance, Liam fist-bumped his fellow musicians while the royal family and a large number of dignitaries watched on. The service was the first time Meghan had taken part in an official event with the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96.
Royal Correspondent have noted that the American actress appeared nervous during the event – but Harry was able to effortlessly bring a smile to her face. After Liam finished singing, he turned to his future wife and sarcastically raised his eyebrows – sending her into fits of laughter.
Harry and Meghan have had something of an awkward relationship with the royal family in the years since – having quit their royal duties and turned their backs on the UK in 2020 to begin a new life in the USA. In 2023, Harry released his shocking memoir, Spare, which shone a negative light on the royal family.
Prince Harry makes wife Meghan Markle crack up during official state event(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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A friend of the prince previously told the Daily Mail that Harry was regarded as the “resident joker” of the family and he had grown tired of the fact others in the family allegedly rolled their eyes at him when he tried to contribute ideas to how the family should operate. They told the publication: “They believe Harry’s outspoken remarks may have been triggered because previously his voice and opinions were rarely heard within the Royal Family.”
Meghan has also revealed her own struggles to adapt to life at the top of the class system of the UK and said she found life “challenging” when she was pregnant with her first child, Prince Archie. She told ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby previously: “Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging.”
The interview made headlines as Tom asked Meghan how she was feeling – and she was taken by surprise by the simple question. She declared at the time: “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.”
Tom then asked: “And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really OK?” – prompting Meghan to reply: “Yes.”
Prince Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
In 2021, Meghan drew further attention when she revealed she had suicidal thoughts while living within the royal family. In a startling interview with talk show icon Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess of Sussex explained that she “just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Discussing her heartbreaking confession last year, Meghan told Jane Pauley on CBS Sunday Morning that she hoped her honesty could help save the lives of others.
She explained: “When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey — certainly part of mine — is being able to be really open about it.
“I really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way and I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans and I would never want someone else to not be believed.”
Meghan added: “If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them and not assume that the appearance is good so everything is OK, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”
