Newly married Harry and Meghan return home to Kensington Palace

PRINCE Harry and new wife Meghan have returned home to Kensington Palace after their wedding — but plans for a honeymoon will have to wait.

PRINCE Harry and new wife Meghan Markle have been spotted for the first time since their lavish wedding over the weekend.

The newlyweds were photographed in a car arriving home to Kensington Palace at around 3.30pm on Monday UK time, with Harry behind the wheel.

The pair will not immediately go on honeymoon, instead focusing on their royal duties.

Harry and Meghan spotted for the first time post-wedding. Picture: Steve Bainbridge/Mirror/australscope

Also today, official photographs of the royal wedding have been released which show a beaming Harry and Meghan surrounded by members of the royal family.

The photographs were taken by Alexi Lubomirski and show the senior royals as well as Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland standing around the happy couple.

That’s quite the family portrait.

In a statement provided by Kensington Palace, the couple said: “The Duke and Duchess would like to thank everyone who took part in the celebrations of their wedding.

“They feel so lucky to have been able to share their day with all those gathered in Windsor and those who watched on television across the UK, Commonwealth, and around the world.”

With the wedding of the year now behind them, Harry and Meghan will settle in to life as a married couple in their residence on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

The couple live in the surprisingly humble Nottingham Cottage, a cosy residence not inside the main palace which features just two bedrooms, a small living room, kitchen and bathroom.

Aerial view of Kensington Palace, London. Circled is Nottingham Cottage. Picture: Getty Images

Harry reportedly set up a hammock in the cottage’s small walled garden when he moved in. The happy couple may not be there for long, though — it has been reported that Harry and his new bride are set to move into a 21-room apartment next door to his brother Prince William and family’s residence at the palace.

The property, known as Apartment 1, was the former home of the Queen’s cousin, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who moved out last year before renovations began.

As the glow of the royal wedding fades, attention once again turns to Meghan’s headline-grabbing extended family, with her estranged half-sister Samantha Markle today claiming Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland was cashing in on her famous daughter by sharing pictures of them together soon after the romance with Prince Harry began.

Samantha, 53, and Meghan, 36, have the same father, but Samantha only recently began using the surname Markle and was previously known as Ms Grant.

She made the attention-seeking slur on Twitter.

“Even Doria cashed in talking to Oprah and some of the first photos out there only she could have had,” she wrote.

Reports suggest Ms Ragland will give an interview to media giant Oprah Winfrey, who was one of the first high profile guests to arrive at Windsor Castle for the wedding ceremony.