11 photos show Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are thriving after leaving royal life behind

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry looked happier than ever as they shared an umbrella at the Endeavour Awards, one of their final engagements in the UK.

This photo of the couple gazing at each other lovingly — and leaving the darkness and rain behind them — quickly became a symbol of their new chapter.

The photographer Samir Hussein said it's the most iconic photo he's taken of the couple.

"It was pouring down with rain, which can be very tricky when shooting flash photography and also meant Harry and Meghan would be under an umbrella, which usually means it's hard to get clean photos of the couple," Hussein said in a statement.

"Little did I know these elements would come together so spectacularly to produce a timeless image of the couple."

He added: "I've taken many photos I'm really proud of, but in terms of the huge interest in the subjects and the response I've had, this is probably the most iconic photo I've taken."

Markle wore a $1,693 Safiyaa floor-length red gown with a cape detail and matching clutch, while Harry wore a uniform signifying his military ranking as Captain General of the Royal Marines.

This photo shows the couple holding hands as they made their way to the event, held at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The duchess spoke to students at Robert Clack Upper School in Dagenham about International Women's Day. After inviting the head boy Aker Okoye to come on stage and speak about the subject, the 16-year-old looked in disbelief as he gave Markle a cuddle.

He told his fellow students: "She really is beautiful, innit?"

Harry, Jon Bon Jovi, and The Invictus Games Choir posed in the exact same spot the band did for their 1969 album cover.

They were at the studio to record Bon Jovi's charity single, "Unbroken," with the Invictus Games Choir in aid of The Invictus Games Foundation, of which Harry is patron.

The song was created by Bon Jovi to "shine a spotlight on veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and honor their service," according to a Buckingham Palace press release.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared alongside the royal family in an official capacity for the final time at a Commonwealth Day service held at London's Westminster Abbey.

They were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and awkward photos from the event show the couples didn't speak or make eye contact.

The event marked the final time the UK's Royal Rota would be permitted to join the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at an engagement. As part of their new media guidelines, the couple will no longer work with the royal reporters who cover the royal family's engagements on a rotation system.

The young family are reportedly staying in Tyler Perry's eight bedroom, 12 bathroom mansion located in the exclusive Beverly Ridge Estates in Los Angeles.

The couple gave a sneak peek of their life at home for Archie's first birthday in May, with a video of Markle reading to him.

The Duchess of Sussex appeared on a video call to give advice to a Smart Works client ahead of her job interview in April.

The most notable thing about the duchess was her natural, glowing makeup look — and makeup artists compared it to her wedding day look.

The couple joined the members of the organization to prepare meals for senior citizens and youth who were left vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic.

It marked one of their first joint charity engagements since leaving the royal family.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were just 'Harry and Meghan' to the homies," Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, said in a statement.

"They rolled up their sleeves and deeply engaged with our workers in the Bakery and Café. It was immediate kinship and heartening in its mutuality."

The duke and duchess have undertaken several video call engagements — both together and separately — to raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd.

Earlier this month, they spoke about unconscious bias during a conversation with the Queen's Commonwealth Trust.

"We're going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now, because it's only in pushing through that discomfort that we get to the other side of this and find the place where a high tide raises all ships," the duchess said during the call.

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