It’s been two years since Meghan Markle first exchanged vows with Prince Harry in a star-studded wedding at St. George’s Chapel, but the couple’s lives now probably look a lot different from they initially anticipated. The year leading up to their second wedding anniversary has brought about a number of major changes that now have them celebrating the milestone under much different circumstances.
The Sussexes' first year of marriage was very busy, marked by a jam-packed schedule of public appearances that took them all over the world. They brought in their first anniversary as new parents to little Archie Mountbatten, born just weeks before, and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland was reportedly helping them care for their newborn son.
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A year later, Meghan and Harry are ringing in their anniversary in an alternate reality. Having officially stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family, the couple has flown the coop, leaving their famous Frogmore Cottage to reportedly settle down in a Los Angeles mansion owned by Tyler Perry (yes, you read that right). The Sussexes have been uncharacteristically low-profile during this new transition, but that doesn't mean that they're not celebrating the big day — they'll just be keeping things low-key.
"Meghan designed Harry’s card, and handwrote a beautiful, sentimental message inside expressing her love for him,” a source closed to the couple shared with Us Weekly. “Harry surprised Meghan with a huge, stunning bouquet of roses and a ring, which she loves.”
"The most important thing to them was that they got to enjoy each other’s company without any interruption from the outside world,” added the source.
Privacy has always been a priority for Meghan and Harry — it's the whole reason they made the massive decision to stop being active members of the Royal Family in the first place. As private(ish) citizens, the pair has the freedom to do what they want, and right now, that means just spending quality time with family. Like millions of other people in the States, Meghan and Harry are in quarantine, but they're comfortably passing the time at home.
"The day will simply be quality time with one another and as a family," another source close to the couple told Harper's BAZAAR. "They're not going to be doing any work and made sure they have no meetings or calls in the diary."
"Like everyone else, they are in lockdown at the moment, so they will just be hanging out together at home," the insider continued. "But it will still be a lovely day."
For last year's anniversary, Meghan and Harry shared a video montage of their favourite moments on their Instagram page @SussexRoyal. Unfortunately for us, the account is no longer active since the couple can no longer legally self-identify as "Sussex Royal," so we'll have to use our imaginations instead — just picture Archie impatiently sitting through another round of storytime. That should be pretty accurate.