Exactly eight years have passed since the day Harry and Meghan Markle married in St George's Chapel at Windsor, and today we can see how a wedding can be both public spectacle and private message to the parents who aren't there.

Details that looked like coincidence at the time have, over time, become the couple's artistic signature. Meghan had a blue note in the dress - the old English "something blue" - but what's more interesting: the bouquet included Princess Diana's favourite flowers. Harry didn't skip his mother even when he formally entered marriage. And in the ceremony itself, the couple chose to drop the word "obey" from the marriage vows - an act that in British tradition carries the weight of a political statement.

The guest list looked like a red carpet from 2018: the Beckhams, George and Amal Clooney, Priyanka Chopra, Serena Williams, Elton John. What looked then like a "royal wedding with a Hollywood note" reads differently today - it was the signal of a new era. Harry was already beginning his transformation from prince-soldier to prince-escapee from the institution.

Eight years on, the couple live in Montecito, California. They have two children - Archie and Lilibet, they don't attend most formal royal events, and relations with the rest of the family remain frozen. The wedding that in 2018 looked like the start of a new royal story has turned into the start of a rift that won't heal.

For Balkan audiences, still soaked in royal visuals and tones, this anniversary is a good reminder: even the most beautiful wedding, if held at the wrong moment in the wrong house, doesn't guarantee a peaceful marriage in a kingdom. Especially when one of the partners brings a family trauma as a dowry.