Meghan Markle deviated from royal tradition on her wedding day to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, by delivering a speech - and although it's not an outright violation of rules, it does break long-standing royal customs.

For British royal weddings this honour is usually reserved for the best man, the host and the groom, letting the bride off the hook.
But Meghan used her speech to express gratitude, speak about her love for Harry, and acknowledge the significance of the moment.

In the Netflix docuseries titled 'Harry & Meghan', the couple shared an extract from Meghan's speech. Meghan read from her notes: "Let's call this a modern fairytale. Once upon a time, there was a girl from LA. Some people called her an actress. And there was a guy from London. Some people called him a prince."

Meghan Markle continued: "All of those people didn’t fully get it because this is the love story of a boy and girl who were meant to be together."

In the Netflix episode, Meghan also revealed how the couple "giggled endlessly" on their first date back in 2016 - with the pair going on a second date the following day.

The couple then tied the knot less than two years later, on May 19, 2018, just one year before they welcomed their first child, Prince Archie.

Meghan's speech symbolised her modern approach to royal life and foreshadowed the more independent path she and Prince Harry would eventually take.

Royal biographers Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie wrote in their book Finding Freedom: "The bride took her moment at the mic to express her appreciation to the Queen for warmly welcoming her into the fold from the start.

"Charles got his own thank you for stepping in to fill the role of her father in escorting her down the aisle and for his courtesy in helping her mother through unfamiliar territory.

"Doria [Meghan's mother] too, was thanked for her support and wisdom. The bulk of her praise, though, went to Harry, the prince she had been fixed up with by chance and who continued to shatter her every expectation."

In honour of celebrating the couple's seventh wedding anniversary today (May 19), Meghan has uploaded a montage of images to Instagram, as well as never-before-seen images of their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The message accompanying the post read: "Seven years of marriage. A lifetime of stories. Thanks to all of you (whether by our side, or from afar) who have loved and supported us throughout our love story - we appreciate you. Happy anniversary! [love heart emoji]."

Meghan regularly shares pictures of her children since she returned to Instagram at the start of the year, but she always conceals their faces. This is in a bid to protect their privacy. The last time fans saw a glimpse of the youngsters' faces was in footage on their Netflix documentary and before that in official images released when they were members of the Royal Family.

Among the images were numerous pictures of Meghan and Harry embracing, and one of the duke tenderly cradling the head of one of their children as a swaddled newborn.