The royal wedding photographer has revealed how he managed to get all the young bridesmaids and page boys together for the official pictures.
Alexi Lubomirski was tasked with taking The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s official wedding photos.
No easy feat when there were TEN little kids involved!
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And now Alexi’s revealed it was the promise of chocolate that got the children – including Prince George and Princess Charlotte – to behave impeccably.
Read more: Duchess of Sussex used an emoji to hire her wedding make-up artist
Alexi told People magazine that he’d been positioning The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh into their seats for the group photos when he heard “chaos” in the background as children started to cry.
He said: “Then I heard this magic word behind me that was Smarties, which is obviously an English Candy, much like M&Ms, and they were being bribed with one Smartie here and one Smartie there.
“So as soon as the kids came onto the set, I immediately just shouted out, ‘Who likes Smarties?’, and then everybody hands up, smiles.
“Even some of the adults I think put their hands up.”
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It’s been reported that the promise of Smarties and Peppa Pig was also used to keep the children happy during the actual ceremony.
Harry and Meghan decided against having adult ushers or bridesmaids.
Instead, they invited ten children to accompany Meghan, 36, down the aisle at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
As well as Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, three, they invited their godchildren and children of their closest friends to be in the wedding party.
Harry’s goddaughters Florence van Cutsem, three, and Zalie Warren, two, and his godson Jasper Dyer, six, all took part, as did Meghan’s goddaughters Remi Litt, six, and Rylan Litt, seven.
Also in the bridal party were Meghan’s best friend Jessica Mulroney’s children, twins Brian and John, seven, and four-year-old Ivy.
Little Brian was a highlight for many viewers, after the cameras caught his face lighting up when he prepared to help carry Meghan’s veil down the aisle.
His dad, Canadian television host Ben, returned to his show, Your Morning, on Tuesday, where he said little Brian had been reacting to hearing trumpets for the first time.
Ben said: “There had been so much talk about getting it right with the rehearsals and these kids are so young that there was a lot of worry that it wouldn’t get done right.
“But they were having so much fun with it. And that, to me, was the thing that gave me the most pride, that we didn’t put so much pressure on them that this wasn’t joyful for them.
“It was pretty darn joyful!”
Ben said the children in the bridal party were encouraged to have fun and wave back when people waved at them.
He also said the kids all got to know each other during the rehearsals and made good friends.
“The kids had a chance to get to know each other a little bit during these rehearsals and get together, so they sort of come together in a little bit of a club before this happened.”
Meanwhile, photographer Alexi has also shared the secrets behind another iconic wedding image from the day.
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He snapped Harry and Meghan relaxing and laughing together in the Rose Garden at Windsor Castle during their reception, resulting in a beautiful photo that has been praised by royal fans across the world.
Alexi told BBC News the iconic image was taken in just three and a half minutes right at the end of a brief photoshoot.
“It was just one of those magical moments when you’re a photographer and everything falls into place,” he said, explaining how he’d told the couple they could go back to the reception before asking if they’d just take a quick seat on the steps for a few moments.
“[Meghan] just slumped in between his legs. There was this moment when they were just laughing because they were joking they were exhausted and finally it’s all over,” he recalled.
“And they just looked at each other and were laughing and it was a beautiful moment.”
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