From Prince William and Duchess Kate’s Wedding to Meeting Meghan Markle: Biggest Royal Stories of the Decade

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From Prince William and Duchess Kate’s Wedding to Meeting Meghan Markle: Biggest Royal Stories of the Decade

New additions! The British royal family added several members to their clan in the last decade. At the beginning of the decade, Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his late mother Princess Diana’s 18-carat sapphire ring. “Everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing, if it disappeared I would be in a lot of trouble,” the prince said during the couple’s first joint interview in 2010. “You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong, but it went really, really well and I was really pleased she said yes.” The twosome, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, tied the knot in April 2011. Over the next 10 years, William and Kate, both 37, welcomed three kids: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. “They are absolutely thrilled with having three [children],” a royal source told Us Weekly in April 2018. “They are soaking up every minute they can. Their dream was always to have three kids. Kate knew she wanted a third not long after having Charlotte, but this time around they seem very content.” [jwplayer npbLjO2p-l3ahXupL] After finding himself single in the middle of the decade, it was Prince Harry’s turn to find love. In July 2016, the prince was introduced to American actress Meghan Markle through mutual friends. After sexist and racist trolls criticized the Suits actress, Harry confirmed their relationship in a public statement in November 2016. “It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” he said via his communications secretary. The duo took the next step in November 2017 when Harry popped the question. The following month, Meghan became the first fiancée to spend Christmas with Queen Elizabeth II. Harry and Meghan, now know as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, exchanged vows in May 2018. While there was plenty of drama leading up to the nuptials (more on that later), the pair happily welcomed their first child, a son named Archie, in May 2019. Scroll through to revisit the biggest royal stories of the decade:

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From Prince William and Duchess Kate’s Wedding to Meeting Meghan Markle: Biggest Royal Stories of the Decade

New additions! The British royal family added several members to their clan in the last decade. At the beginning of the decade, Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his late mother Princess Diana’s 18-carat sapphire ring. “Everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing, if it disappeared I would be in a lot of trouble,” the prince said during the couple’s first joint interview in 2010. “You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong, but it went really, really well and I was really pleased she said yes.” The twosome, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, tied the knot in April 2011. Over the next 10 years, William and Kate, both 37, welcomed three kids: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. “They are absolutely thrilled with having three [children],” a royal source told Us Weekly in April 2018. “They are soaking up every minute they can. Their dream was always to have three kids. Kate knew she wanted a third not long after having Charlotte, but this time around they seem very content.” [jwplayer npbLjO2p-l3ahXupL] After finding himself single in the middle of the decade, it was Prince Harry’s turn to find love. In July 2016, the prince was introduced to American actress Meghan Markle through mutual friends. After sexist and racist trolls criticized the Suits actress, Harry confirmed their relationship in a public statement in November 2016. “It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” he said via his communications secretary. The duo took the next step in November 2017 when Harry popped the question. The following month, Meghan became the first fiancée to spend Christmas with Queen Elizabeth II. Harry and Meghan, now know as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, exchanged vows in May 2018. While there was plenty of drama leading up to the nuptials (more on that later), the pair happily welcomed their first child, a son named Archie, in May 2019. Scroll through to revisit the biggest royal stories of the decade:

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William and Kate Get Engaged (2010)

William proposed to Kate in October 2010 during a trip to Kenya. A month later, the twosome announced their engagement in a statement: "The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton. The wedding will take place in the Spring or Summer of 2011, in London. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course."

The couple, who dated on and off for eight years after meeting in college, gushed about the proposal during a joint interview at the time.

“It was about three weeks ago on holiday in Kenya. We had a little private time away together with some friends and I just decided that it was the right time, really,”  William said. “We had been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn’t a massively big surprise.”

Kate, however, argued that “it was a total shock when it came.” She added, “There’s a true romantic in there.”

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William and Kate Get Married (2011)

William and Kate exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011. While the bride stunned in a long-sleeve dress by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, she was nearly upstaged by the media attention surrounding her sister Pippa Middleton’s figure in her bridesmaid dress.

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George Is Born (2013)

While Kate was pregnant with her first child in 2013, U.K. Parliament passed a law that stated the succession of siblings should be decided by age, opposed to gender. Prior to this law, an older sister would be preceded by her younger brother in line to the throne.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, however, welcomed a boy. Kate gave birth to Prince George Alexander Louis on July 22, 2013. He was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London.

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Harry’s Single (2014)

Us Weekly confirmed in April 2014 that Harry and girlfriend Cressida Bonas called it quits after two years of dating. "It's very sad that they have decided to split. It's very amicable, but they have decided to go their separate ways,” a source told Us at the time.

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Charlotte Is Born (2015)

Kate gave birth to her second child with William, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, on May 2, 2015. Like her big brother, she was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London.

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Harry Starts Dating Meghan (2016)

News broke in October 2016 that Harry was dating Meghan.

“They had gotten on when they first met but it was just as friends,” a source told Us at the time. “They then developed romantic interests in each other and, before you knew it, they were texting every day.”

The source added that Harry “loves that she is so into philanthropy.”

“One of the first things they spoke about was her shelter dogs,” the source said. “He loves that she’s so caring.”

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The Queen Turns 90 (2016)

Britain’s oldest and longest-serving monarch hit a major milestone on April 20, 2016: Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 years old!

William gave a sweet speech at a celebration for the queen at the time: “I am incredibly lucky to have my grandmother in my life. As she turns 90, she is a remarkably energetic and dedicated guiding force for her family. … She may be my grandmother, but she is also very much the boss!”

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Philip Retires (2017)

Prince Philip announced his plans to retire from royal engagements on May 4, 2017.

“His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year. In taking this decision, the Duke has the full support of the Queen,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time. “Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full program me of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family.”

Three months later, the prince attended his final engagement at a Royal Marines military parade  after seven decades of public service.

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Harry and Meghan Get Engaged (2017)

Meghan broke her silence about her romance with Harry in her September 2017 cover story for Vanity Fair.

“We’re a couple. We’re in love,” she gushed at the time. “I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”

Less than three months after the interview was published, palace officials announced Harry and Meghan’s engagement on November 27, 2017.

“It was just an amazing surprise,” the Suits alum said in their first joint interview that month. “It was just so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee. As a matter of fact, I could barely let [him] finish proposing. I was like, ‘Can I say ‘yes’ now?’”

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Louis Is Born (2018)

William and Kate welcomed their third child, Prince Louis Arthur Charles, on April 23, 2018. Like his two siblings, Louis was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London.

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Harry and Meghan Marry (2018)

Six months after announcing their engagement, Harry and Meghan wed in front of 600 guests at Windsor Castle in England on May 19, 2018. While the former actress looked gorgeous in an off-the-shoulder, three-quarter-sleeve Givenchy gown, her big day was plagued with drama after Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, was caught staging photos with the paparazzi days before the nuptials. After claiming he was too ill to travel amid the scandal, Harry’s father, Prince Charles, walked Meghan down the aisle.

“Meghan is so upset over Thomas. She’s upset for a couple of reasons. She doesn’t even know how to communicate with her dad without knowing he won’t exploit her,” an insider told Us in July 2018. “She lives in fear that he’ll leak their communication. If he’s spoken this much already, why wouldn’t he leak their conversation?”

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Eugenie Ties the Knot (2018)

Princess Eugenie married longtime love Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who wed at the same location, sparked pregnancy rumors at the ceremony after Meghan donned a navy dress and matching coat.

Three days later, the palace confirmed that Meghan was indeed pregnant: “Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”

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Archie Is Born (2019)

Harry and Meghan welcomed their first child on May 6, 2019. Two days later, they announced his name.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” the couple said in a statement at the time. “This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle. The Duke of Edinburgh and the duchess’ mother were also present for this special occasion.”

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Royal Charities Split (2019)

Amid reports of a royal rift between Harry and Meghan and William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed their plans to split their royal foundation from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in June 2019.

“The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex has today announced the conclusions of a review into its structure, and how it will best support Their Royal Highnesses with future charitable activity,” the statement to Us read. “Later this year The Royal Foundation will become the principal charitable and philanthropic vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will establish their own new charitable foundation with transitional operating support from The Royal Foundation.”

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Harry and Meghan Take Action (2019)

Harry and Meghan took legal action against the British media after they accused the tabloids of “bullying” the former Suits star in October 2019.

“It’s an accumulation, and Harry refuses to sit and do nothing as the British press scrutinizes Meghan and invades her privacy,” a source told Us at the time. “Meghan comes across as a strong woman, but she’s been deeply affected by the negative stories about her.”

Later that month, Meghan revealed that she is “not OK” in the pair’s Harry & Meghan: An African Journey documentary.

“Especially as a woman, it’s really … it’s a lot,” she said in the doc. “So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom and trying to be a newlywed … And also 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.”

The doc also made headlines when Harry confirmed his rift with William.

“We’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment but I’ll always be there for him and as I know he’ll always be there for me,” he said. “We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.”