The most popular official photograph from the royal wedding only took three minutes to capture, says Alexi Lubomirski

‘It was just this beautiful moment’

The royal wedding was a well-oiled machine, with every stage of the occasion taking place like clockwork throughout the day.

Amidst all the pomp and circumstance of the proceedings, official wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski was able to capture an intimate photograph of the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex smiling as they sat together on some steps at their wedding reception.

While many may assume that it took a lot of time and diligent preparation to arrange such a charming image, Lubomirski has revealed that he actually only had around three minutes to capture the candid shot.

Lubomirski, who previously photographed Prince Harry and Meghan for their engagement photoshoot, had taken the couple into the rose garden during the reception following the royal wedding family portraits.

As they began to make their way back into the function, the photographer requested that they quickly stay for a few more pictures.

“I said, ‘Listen, just before you go in let’s sit down on these stairs,’ and she just slumped in between his legs,” he told the BBC.

“There was this moment where they were just laughing because they were joking about how they were exhausted and finally it’s all over and they just looked at each other and they were just laughing.

“It was just this beautiful moment.”

Lubomirski stated that everything just fell into place, describing the moment as “magical”.

The photograph in question, which shows Meghan leaning on Prince Harry and smiling to her left as he grins into the camera, has garnered more than two million likes on Instagram.

In comparison, the picture depicting their first kiss as a married couple has more than 995,000 likes.

The most popular picture from their engagement shoot, which Lubomirski shot at Frogmore House in December, has more than 821,000 likes.

When it came to the official family portraits of Prince Harry and Meghan with the wedding party, Lubomirski was keen to ensure that the pictures appeared natural.

“I wanted it to feel like a family picture, I didn’t want it to feel too much like a sports team photo or an army photo, or very regimented and linear,” he explained.

He strove to incorporate some “rhythm” into the photographs, organising the room in an asymmetric manner and having Princess Charlotte sit on her mother’s lap.