Meghan Markle Reveals the Story Behind Prince Harry’s Sweet Penguin Gift

THE RUNDOWN

• Meghan Markle shared videos of how she, Prince Harry, and their children Archie and Lilibet celebrated the couple’s eighth wedding anniversary.
• They enjoyed lemon-elderflower cake, and Harry gave her a statue of two penguins.
• On camera, Meghan told her kids the backstory behind the gift on camera and how it went back to their engagement days.

Meghan Markle publicly celebrated her and Prince Harry’s eighth wedding anniversary by sharing more never-before-seen photos from their royal wedding on Instagram. Privately, she enjoyed a lemon-elderflower cake (the same flavor as their wedding cake, made by London pastry chef Claire Ptak) with Harry and their children, Archie and Lilibet. Her husband also surprised her with a sizable surprise gift with an unexpected backstory.

The Duchess of Sussex posted videos of Harry presenting her with the cake alongside her kids, then of the family discovering Harry’s present to Meghan: a statue of two penguins together.

Meghan, who was flustered by the gift, explained why the penguin is so meaningful to the couple, telling her children, “When Mama and Papa—when we got engaged, we had a party with all our friends and said, ‘Everyone wear an animal onesie,’ and we were penguins because they’re together for life.” Meghan then shared a photo of her and Harry in their penguin onesies.

In November, Meghan spoke to Harper’s Bazaar about her husband, saying, “He loves me so boldly, fully, and he also has a different perspective because he sees media that I wouldn’t. No one in the world loves me more than him, so I know he’s always going to make sure that he has my back.”

To her, Harry is “someone who just has this childlike wonder and playfulness,” she said. “I was so drawn to that, and he brought that out in me. That’s translated into every part of our life. Even in business, I want us to play and have fun and explore and be creative.”