Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Marriage Had Unexpected Effect on the Royal Family

Despite their alleged acrimonious exit from their duties as royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a profound impact on the royal family. Karwai Tang is a freelance entertainment and royal photographer based in London, U.K. who has captured viral photos of the couples, many of which show them displaying PDA.

PDA isn’t something often seen from royals. But Tang says the couple set a new precedent.

“I think with Harry and Meghan being in the royal family for those few years, it’s sort of relaxed a lot of the other members, because every now and again you see Kate and William, not hold hands, but like a hand on the back or on the knee,” Tang said in an interview with Us Weekly.

Harry and Meghan are seemingly better than ever, working on their various media projects and philanthropic efforts as they continue settling into their life in California with their two children – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

In fact, Meghan says they’re as happy now as they were in the early stages of their relationship. In an exclusive with PEOPLE, the With Love, Meghan star said of their union: “My husband met me when I had The Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me,” she says, referring to her former lifestyle blog.

“It’s almost like a honeymoon period again,” she adds, “because it’s exactly how it was in the beginning when he’d watch me scribbling away, writing newsletters, fine-tuning edits and just really being in the details of it. I think he loves watching as much as I love doing that creative process. It’s just been fun. This is who I’ve always been.”

Meghan and Harry wed in 2018. Megxit, the term used to describe them stepping down as royals in favor of financial independence, happened in 2020.