EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle Uses Online 8th Wedding Anniversary Celebration to Have 'Massive Dig' at Royal Family
Meghan Markle's wedding anniversary post is accused of having featured a 'dig' at the royals.
May 19 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle is being accused by royal insiders of using her eighth wedding anniversary celebrations as a pointed public reminder of her, after sharing a carefully curated collection of previously unseen wedding photographs, which largely excluded senior royals from view.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Duchess of Sussex, 44, marked the anniversary of her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry, 41, by posting intimate Instagram images from their Windsor wedding and private evening reception at Frogmore House.
Markle shared a curated collection of unseen wedding photos.
Backlash Over Curated Wedding Anniversary Posts
The Duchess of Sussex marked her eighth wedding anniversary
The lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel was watched by an estimated 1.9 billion people worldwide and attended by celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, David Beckham, and George Clooney.
Yet apart from a brief glimpse of King Charles III walking Markle down the aisle, senior members of the monarchy were almost entirely absent from the images, reigniting debate over the Sussexes' fractured relationship with the institution they left behind in 2020.
One royal source claimed the omissions were impossible to ignore.
The insider told us: "What immediately stood out to people connected to royal circles was how carefully edited and curated the anniversary posts appeared to be. There was a noticeable absence of senior royals in photographs from what was ultimately one of the biggest state occasions the monarchy had staged in years.
"A lot of observers have interpreted that as Meghan deliberately reframing the memory of the wedding around the people she personally feels loyal to now, rather than the institution and family that surrounded the event at the time."
'It Comes Across As a Massive Dig at Them'
The photographs largely excluded senior royals from view.
The source added: "Among some palace insiders, there's a belief that the post was far more loaded than a simple anniversary tribute. By centering the images around celebrity guests, close confidantes, intimate moments with Harry, and her own mother, while barely acknowledging the Royal Family, it was viewed by some as a symbolic statement about where the Sussexes now place their emotional allegiance.
"Whether Meghan intended it to come across that way or not, many people inside the royal household felt the message was unmistakable. "It comes across as a massive dig at them, really."
Among the images shared were photographs of the Duke and Duchess dancing and kissing during their evening reception, alongside behind-the-scenes moments from their official wedding portraits.
Elton John, who performed at the wedding, appeared in some photographs, while longtime Markle confidante Isabel May was pictured embracing Harry. Markle was also seen speaking with her mother, Doria Ragland, while the rest of the royal household was notably absent.
Past Tensions Over Bridesmaid Outfits Resurface
Elton John performed at the wedding celebration.
The posts also revived longstanding tensions surrounding the wedding and the difficult lead-up to the ceremony.
Markle and Harry's relationship with Catherine, Princess of Wales, reportedly deteriorated during a disagreement over bridesmaids' dresses involving Princess Charlotte, now 11, who was three at the time.
Markle later told Oprah Winfrey in 2021: "It wasn't a confrontation. I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologized."
Other controversies also resurfaced following the anniversary posts.
Royal biographer Tom Bower alleged in his book Revenge that disagreements erupted over Markle's preferred wedding tiara and her interactions with palace staff.
According to reports at the time, the late Queen Elizabeth II allegedly warned Markle about her alleged behavior to palace workers: "In this family, we don't speak to people like that."
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Markle spoke with her mother during the event.
Additional criticism emerged over reports that Markle requested scent diffusers costing around $175 to mask what sources described as the "musty" smell of St George's Chapel before guests arrived.
One insider recalled: "Apparently, Meghan didn't like the smell of the chapel, which, as you would expect, is a little musty."
The anniversary posts arrived shortly after Markle traveled to Geneva to speak outside the United Nations about the dangers of social media for children, continuing her and Harry's increasingly public life in Montecito with their kids Archie, seven, and Lilibet, four.
