This ^ is a photo of photographer Alexi Lubomirski attending the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Alexi had already shot Harry and Meghan’s engagement portraits, and they asked him to be their wedding photographer too. He mostly does high-end fashion photography, and he’s got a new book and exhibition coming out, which is why he chatted with the Telegraph recently about what it’s like to photograph royalty, specifically the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry and Meghan actually worked with him after their wedding too – they asked him to photograph their family in 2021, for the Sussexes’ Christmas card that year. They’re still close to him, and he’s lovely about them (much to the chagrin of the Telegraph) Some highlights from his interview:
Working as the official photographer at the Sussexes’ wedding: It was one of the most stressful moments of his career, not least because courtiers had warned him in advance that Prince Philip wasn’t a fan of having his picture taken; equally, he had to corral 10 under-10s into looking at the camera. With the children proving to be a handful, Lubomirski, 47, eventually went up to the late Queen and promised he wouldn’t be more than five minutes; she smiled and said, “I’m not the one you need to worry about.” In the end, he got the shot by asking, “Who likes Smarties?” to the resounding response of “Me”.
Meghan apparently liked his Julia Roberts photos: Lubomirski has gone on to work with Julia Roberts numerous times for magazines including Elle, Marie Claire and Harper’s Bazaar – and allegedly, Meghan Markle hired him after seeing one of these shoots.
He loves photographing British people: Generally, British actors win in the fun stakes, and one of his favourite people to work with is Ewan McGregor, who is as happy to hop around on set in bunny ears as he is to pose in a suit. “I desperately miss how good British people are at laughing at themselves,” he says. “You quickly learn in America not to take the piss out of other people – whereas in Britain it’s a sign of rapport.”
He says Harry is a great amateur photographer too: Before collaborating with big-name subjects, Lubomirski finds points in common to chat about on set. With Harry, Botswana was the obvious choice – but it sounds like the Duke of Sussex was more interested in honing his burgeoning photographic skills. In fact, the Princess of Wales appears to have some competition on her hands. “Harry is really interested in photography,” says Lubomirski. “He takes a lot of great black and white pictures. I talked to him about different apps to use to create the perfect picture. I was definitely giving him ideas.”
The Sussexes’ engagement portraits: The prince-on-prince professional relationship began on the grounds of Windsor Castle in late 2017 when Lubomirski shot the all-important engagement images that would act as Meghan’s royal coming-out. “Every time they looked at each other I almost felt awkward. I kept thinking, ‘This is so intimate, should I even be here for this?’ Being around them was very intoxicating.’’ While the rest of the press pack was kept at arm’s length, he spent hours with them. “I’m cheesy and I love taking pictures of people in love.”
I am dying to see Harry’s photography. While he was promoting Spare, Bryony Gordon also noted that Harry had just completed a big display of black-and-white family photos. I imagine he photographs Meghan and the kids constantly. We saw that in the Netflix series too – the Sussexes love to document their love and their kids, and they’re sitting on a huge cache of family photos. Anyway, Alexi sounds like a nice guy who loves his job. While the Telegraph makes the most out of the fact that he was educated in posh British schools and he speaks with a British accent, Alexi lives in America and he mostly works there too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images and Alexi Lubomirski for the Sussexes.
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Giada Lubomirski and Alexi Lubomirski arrive at the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales marries Ms. Meghan Markle in a service at St George’s Chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. Among the guests were 2200 members of the public, the royal family and Ms. Markle’s Mother Doria Ragland.,Image: 515244837, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon 
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Alexi Lubomirski (R) and his wife Giada (C) arrive at the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales marries Ms. Meghan Markle in a service at St George’s Chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. Among the guests were 2200 members of the public, the royal family and Ms. Markle’s Mother Doria Ragland.,Image: 515244949, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon 
USA Rights Only – London, UK -20180519-Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Official wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski (right) and Giada Lubomirski arrive at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. -PICTURED: Giada Lubomirski and Alexi Lubomirsk -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com -36655822.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Giada Lubomirski and Alexi Lubomirsk Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 19 May 2018 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
An official engagement photo released by Kensington Palace of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taken by Alexi Lubomirski earlier this week at Frogmore House, Windsor. Windsor, United Kingdom – Thursday December 21, 2017. USE AFTER 31/05/2018 must be cleared by Kensington Palace. This photograph is for editorial use only. NO commercial use. NO use in calendars, books or supplements. Use on a cover, or for any other purpose, will require approval from Art Partner and the Kensington Palace Press Office. This photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified and must be used substantially uncropped. Copyright in the photographs is vested in Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle. Publications are asked to credit the photograph to Alexi Lubomirski. 
NEWS EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE. NO MERCHANDISING, ADVERTISING, SOUVENIRS, MEMORABILIA or COLOURABLY SIMILAR. NOT FOR USE AFTER 31 DECEMBER 2018 WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM KENSINGTON PALACE. NO CROPPING. Publications are asked to credit the photograph to Alexi Lubomirski. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals in the photograph when published. This official wedding photograph released by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shows The Duke and Duchess in The Green Drawing Room, Windsor Castle, with (left-to-right): Back row: Master Jasper Dyer, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, Ms. Doria Ragland, The Duke of Cambridge; middle row: Master Brian Mulroney, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Miss Rylan Litt, Master John Mulroney; Front row: Miss Ivy Mulroney, Miss Florence van Cutsem, Miss Zalie Warren, Miss Remi Litt.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWlkbYFye8ClnLGhj6HCo7vMoqmso5mUvbO1zZycmKCRp7%2B6q8islqudkaG5uqvIp6ueqpWowaawvqKlmKiYpMGws9Gap6Gxj6murLHSmJ6rnZGprLG0zq2mrGc%3D