Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen their wedding photographer, and he has a lot in common with both the groom and bride-to-be. On Friday, Kensington Palace announced that fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski, who also shot their engagement photos, will be photographing their big day.
“I could not be more thrilled or honored to photograph this historic occasion,” he said in a statement released by Kensington Palace. “Having taken Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s engagement photos, it brings me such joy to be able to witness again, the next chapter in this wonderful love story.”
The choice is a bit breaking with royal tradition, as both Prince William and his father Prince Charles enlisted photographer Hugo Burnand for William’s 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton and Charles’s 2005 wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles. Even more, Meghan reportedly found her photographer on Instagram!
“I think one of Meghan’s friends saw me on Instagram that I was in England during the announcement of the engagement and I was told later that this person said to her, ‘You should meet Alexi. He’s great. You’d love him,’ and that was it,” Lubomirski told E! News.
While Meghan and Harry went with a different photographer than royals before them, their choice actually makes a lot of sense, as they have a ton in common with Lubomirski. While his profession is as a photographer, Lubomirski was actually born a prince of the Polish Lubomirski dynasty. He was born in England to a Peruvian English mother and a French Polish father, but once his parents separated, he moved to Botswana with his mother and stepfather at the age of 8.
If you remember, Botswana has a lot of significance to Meghan and Harry. The royal has long been doing philanthropic work in the country, and took Meghan along on his trip to Botswana in the very early days of their relationship. It was there that the couple said their romance really blossomed. Meghan’s engagement ring also has a tie to the country, as Prince Harry sourced the center diamond from Botswana, while the other two stones are from his mom Princess Diana’s personal collections.
There’s another thing that Lubomirski has in common with the couple: He’s fiercely dedicated to philanthropy. In fact, the photographer wrote a book called Princely Advice for a Happy Life, an etiquette book written for his two young sons, and proceeds from his book sales go to the charity Concern Worldwide, which works to eradicate poverty and hunger.
It’s no wonder these three get along so well.