Royal Engagement Portraits Through the Years: From Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon
On Thursday, the world got its first look at the official engagement portrait of Prince Harry and fiancé Meghan Markle, an intimate and up close look at the happy couple as captured by fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski. In the set of three released by Kensington Palace, Harry and Markle look ecstatic, holding hands and blissfully laughing as they stroll through a stunning landscape. Of course, the United Kingdom has a long tradition of similarly over the moon couples smiling for their first official portraits: there’s Prince William and the then Kate Middleton, beaming for the cameras at St James Palace, and there’s his mother Lady Diana, later to become Princess Diana, bashfully posing with Prince Charles in what would become her trademark Mona Lisa smirk. From Princess Margaret and the future Lord Snowdon, a relationship now immortalized by Netflix’s The Crown, to the portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and the future Prince Philip, take a look back at the most touching royal engagement portraits.
1
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for one of two official engagement photos at Frogmore House in December, 2017 in Windsor, United Kingdom. Photo by Alexi Lubomirski via Getty Images.
2
Prince William and Kate Middleton pose for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace on November 16, 2010 in London, England. The couple became engaged during a holiday in Kenya having been together for eight years. Photo by Chris Jackson via Getty Images.
3
Sophie Rhys-jones And Prince Edward on The Day Of Their Engagement. Photo by Tim Graham via Getty Images.
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Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer pose outside Buckingham Palace following the official announcement of their engagement. Lady Diana, 19, had been a friend of the Royal Family all her life. Prince Charles, 32, was regarded as one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Prince Andrew with Sarah Ferguson at Buckingham Palace after the announcement of their engagement. Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images.
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Princess Anne and Mark Philips Engagement In London On 1973. Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images.
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Princess Anne and her fiance, Captain Mark Phillips. Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images.
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Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in the grounds of Royal Lodge after they announced their engagement. Photo by Hulton Archive via Getty Images.
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Princess Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Buckingham Palace shortly before their wedding. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
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The first official picture after the announcement of the engagement of Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, the former Prince Philip of Greece, at Buckingham Palace. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
