That Magical Photo of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in the Rain Has the Most Interesting Backstory

UPDATE: May 1, 2020— Apparently, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry loved this iconic photo just as much as we did!

“I spoke to some of their team, and they were really happy about it and talking about it,” Getty photographer Samir Hussein, who took the shot, told *Us Weekly* on April 29.

The photographer says he's been all over the world with the couple but may not be able to continue now that the they have stepped down from their royal duties and moved to Los Angeles. “I’m really disappointed that I won’t get to photograph them so much anymore,” Hussein said. “I’ve really, really enjoyed photographing them. I’m going to miss photographing them.”

ORIGINAL STORY: March 25, 2020—

Remember back a few weeks ago when the world looked a lot more normal and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were out and about in London on what many called their farewell tour as senior working royals? Those were the days, huh?

Markle really pulled out all the stops, fashion-wise, in an array of bold colors. But there was one instantly iconic image in particular that stood out from the thousands taken of the Sussexes as they attended the Endeavor Awards. You know the one: The duke and duchess are gazing happily at each other under an umbrella as camera flashes light up the raindrops in the background.

Now the photographer who took the shot is letting the world in on exactly how he got it. “It was pouring down with rain, which can be very tricky when shooting flash photography,” Samir Hussein, a longtime Getty photographer who often covers the royal family, told Vogue. “[It] also meant Harry and Meghan would be under an umbrella, which usually means it’s hard to get clean photos of the couple. Little did I know these elements would come together so spectacularly to produce a timeless image.”

Before they arrived, Hussein talked to the royals’ press officer so he could try to position himself in the right spot in the photographers' pen. “As they walked toward me, I noticed a flash going off from a camera in the crowd behind them,” he said. “I knew that if that light could be lined up to be right behind as they walked, then it could create a dramatic photo, acting like a backlight in a studio shot. I managed to maneuver myself to line up the flash behind them and then had to work quickly, with just a second or two to get the shot as they smiled wonderfully at each other.

“It’s a one in a million, when all the elements you could wish for as a photographer come together—perfect timing, great lighting, strong symbolism, and amazing subjects,” he said.

We just hope Meghan Markle and (Prince) Harry have this framed somewhere in their house in Canada.

Originally Appeared on Glamour