Royal photographer Alexi Lubomirski has described the “magical moments” he captured of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their big day.

Mr Lubomirski said he felt “immediate elation” when he got a call about a month before Saturday’s ceremony, asking him to take the official wedding pictures.

The fashion photographer, who also took the couple’s official engagement pictures, said Harry and Meghan wanted a “modern twist, a bit of a breath of fresh air”.

The newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Alexi Lubomirski)
The newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Alexi Lubomirski)

He added: “When we did the engagement pictures, and you got to sense that they were together, that black and white picture where they really were embracing and hugging, you felt that love.”

Three of his photographs have been released to mark the event.

One image showed the main family members with the newlyweds and their bridesmaids and page boys in Windsor Castle’s green drawing room.

Mr Lubomirski said: “The atmosphere in the room was obviously very joyful, there were lots of smiles, it was like a family room after a wedding, you know some parents were trying to wrangle the children, other uncles and aunts were talking to their nephews and nieces – it was a family, that was essentially what it is.”

In another picture the couple were surrounded by their six bridesmaids and four pageboys.

The duke and duchess with their bridesmaids and pageboys (Alexi Lubomirski)
The duke and duchess with their bridesmaids and pageboys (Alexi Lubomirski)

Mr Lubomirski said he has often been asked how he managed to “control the kids” and revealed that they were bribed with Smarties.

“I could hear the kids started crying in the background and there was some chaos, and then I heard this magic word behind me that was ‘Smarties’ and they were being bribed with one Smartie here and one Smartie there,” he added.

A final photograph was an intimate black and white image of Meghan and Harry sitting on the steps of Windsor Castle’s east terrace.

Mr Lubomirski described it as “amazing, a very happy moment”.

“We had about three-and-a-half minutes to take some pictures, because everything was like clockwork, and it was just one of the those magical moments,” he said.

“The sun is setting just over the top of Windsor Castle behind them, it is just the most serene beautiful light, they are in love, walking around this beautiful garden.”

He added: “She just slumped in between his legs, and 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, and it was this just beautiful moment.”

He said that one of the highlights of his day was seeing Meghan walk into the chapel.

“That moment just was tingling, everybody was in tears, it was an amazing, very empowering move on her part, really showed who she was, I think it was incredible,” he added.