When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walked down the aisle together at their fairytale wedding in May 2018, the whole world watched as they lovingly swapped rings, exchanged their vows, and finally kissed.
But did they also witness an ‘F-bomb’ from the bride?
Footage has now been unearthed from after the ceremony which shows Meghan looking like she swore in shock while travelling through Windsor in the horse-drawn carriage with her new husband.
Meghan turned to Harry and seemingly laughed ‘Oh f***!’ and put her hand over her chest as the carriage pulled away from the crowds on The Long Walk and into the private gated grounds of Windsor Castle.
Social media went into a frenzy as viewers began to question what they had just seen, with some suggesting she had been so overwhelmed by the occasion, it had just slipped out.
Others suggested the candid moment happened because Meghan thought that since the crowds were now behind her, no one could see her any more.
The couple had just gone past an estimated up to 150,000 well-wishers as the couple made their first appearance as a married couple, so nerves would have been high.
Royal fans took to social media to try their best to lip-read the exact words that the newly created Duchess of Sussex had just made while hundreds of millions of people from around the world watched.
Meghan covers her mouth while riding in a horse-drawn carriage with her new husband Prince Harry after their wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on May 19, 2018
Footage has now been unearthed from after the ceremony which shows Meghan looking like she swore in shock while travelling in the horse-drawn carriage with Harry
Meghan turned to Harry, put her hand on her chest and seemingly laughed ‘Oh f***!’ as the carriage pulled away from crowds on The Long Walk and into the grounds of Windsor Castle
One Twitter user exclaimed: ‘Turned the royal wedding on just in time to see Meghan definitely say ‘f***’ absolute scenes.’
Another spluttered: ‘I swear I just saw Meghan say ‘f***’ in the back of the carriage as she went through those gates lol.’
A third commented: ‘Meghan says “Oh f***!” as carriage enters private section of Long Walk. What a farce!’
Although it looked like Meghan did indeed mouth the F-bomb, other social users seemed to think she said ‘oh wow’.
Whether or not she did drop the profanity is still up for debate, as no members of the public were close enough to overhear the couple at the time.
They were riding in the Queen’s Landau carriage, which normally carries the monarch to Royal Ascot. And although it had been refurbished, having originally been built for Queen Victoria, its bumpy ride could be surprising for the uninitiated.
But despite most of the public being stunned at the colourful language they had just seemingly witnessed, others seemed to think the clear breach of royal decorum was forgivable.
The Daily Star claimed she ‘couldn’t be blamed for her reaction’ as she was faced with ‘incredible scenes’ of thousands of fans screaming her name.
An estimated 150,000 well-wishers packed The Long Walk in Windsor to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their carriage ride after their wedding ceremony
Harry waves to the crowds and Meghan gasps as the thousands of fans cheer the couple
Social media went into a frenzy as TV viewers questioned what they had just seen, with some suggesting Meghan had been so overwhelmed by the occasion, the F-bomb had slipped out
The couple were riding in the Queen’s Landau carriage, which normally carries the monarch to Royal Ascot. Although it had been refurbished, its bumpy ride could surprise the uninitiated
Meghan-friendly US magazine The List said in a video: ‘Hey, it can happen to the best of us, especially if you are not used to getting driven around in carriages.’
And Metro wrote: ‘To be fair, doing an open-top procession in front of 100,000 people is not your everyday event. So if she did have a momentary loss of control of her language, we think she can be forgiven.’
There is no doubt the sea of royal fans draped in Union flags would have been a lot for anyone to face, as some of the jubilant well-wishers had been camped out near the castle walls for days while others arrived as early as 4am to secure a good spot.
A lip-reading expert believed the Duke had joked in the carriage ‘I’m ready for a drink now’ as he and Meghan took in the rapturous reception from the crowd.
But perhaps the Duchess’s apparent outburst was more about what had happened in the lead up to the big day?
After all, looking back on the royal wedding now, we know so much more about the hidden stresses that were bubbling behind the scenes.
For instance, it later emerged that there had been a clash between Harry and one of the Queen’s closest aides over the tiara Meghan wanted to wear on the big day – dubbed ‘Tiara-gate’ by the press.
The couple also processed along the High Street in Windsor after their wedding ceremony
Some of the thousands of jubilant well-wishers had been camped out near the castle walls for days, while others arrived as early as 4am on the big day to secure a good viewing spot
The couple were accompanied by members of Harry’s former regiment, the Household Cavalry, on their procession
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George’s Chapel at the end of their wedding ceremony
The royal couple stand at the altar on their big day
Prior to the wedding, a monumental row had broken out over the tiara Meghan was wearing
It had descended into a monumental row due to Meghan not getting the tiara quickly enough, with Harry later writing in his memoir Spare it caused the aide to give him a ‘look that made me shiver’ when he eventually got a hold of it.
There was further trouble over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress, as it was reported that Meghan had reduced Kate to tears after she said it didn’t fit properly.
However, the Duchess of Sussex later claimed in her 2021 bombshell interview with Oprah that it was actually Kate who had made her cry, with Harry backing her up in Spare, writing he had found Meghan ‘sobbing on the floor’.
There had also been a row over Meghan wearing a white dress and veil, as reports would later come to light that the ever-traditional Queen disapproved of the attire as it was Meghan’s second marriage.
And reports would later come to light that Meghan was getting involved in all aspects of the planning, even complaining about the mustiness of St George’s chapel and wanting it sprayed with air freshener before the ceremony.
It was also claimed that after taste testing some of the food that was going to be served at the reception, she declared she could ‘taste egg’ – despite the dish having no egg in it.
A royal author said the episode caused the Queen to take Meghan quietly to the side and tell her ‘in this family we don’t speak to people like that’.
The late Queen looks over to Meghan during her wedding to Prince Harry
The bride and groom leave the chapel after the wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Meghan waves to the crowds while sitting next to Prince Harry in the Ascot Landau
There had also been the well-publicised dropping out of Meghan’s father Thomas, after he claimed he had suffered a heart attack, leading to Charles walking her down the aisle.
Eyebrows were also raised earlier on the wedding day as the Rolls-Royce which carried Meghan to the chapel had previously been used by another American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, at the funeral of her husband in 1972.
And when Meghan got out of the car, her heel became tangled in her 16ft-long wedding veil.
But the escorting officer who opened the door didn’t offer to help her, instead leaving her to struggle, because of an incident during the wedding rehearsal the previous day, according to a royal author.
So there is no doubt the day would have been a stressful one for both Harry and Meghan.
Harry admitted in his memoir that while drinking with friends on the eve of the wedding, one of them commented he ‘seemed a bit distracted’, with him replying: ‘Yes, well. There’s been a lot going on.’
So less than 24 hours later, when he and Meghan climbed into the carriage after saying ‘I do’ at the front of a St George’s Chapel packed with celebrities, members of the Royal Family, friends and relatives, they probably had a sense of relief it was all over.
And as they pulled into the private grounds of Windsor Castle, away from the glare of the hordes of well-wishers, Meghan might have thought it was the perfect opportunity to let him know.
