Royals Serena Williams Reveals Why She Spent 'All Night' on Her Look for Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding The tennis star, who covers the September issue of Vogue, said stylists were braiding her hair "all night" By Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit is a Royals Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 10, 2022 11:42 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian. Photo: Ian West - WPA Pool/Getty Serena Williams brought her signature style to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2018 royal wedding — despite the "very long process." The tennis champion, 40, looked back at some of her most iconic looks in a Vogue cover story. In addition to her wedding gown and some of her on-court ensembles, Williams reminisced about her head-to-toe pink ensemble by Versace that she wore for her pal Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. "I love this image," the athlete said upon seeing the photo of her and husband Alexis Ohanian at Windsor Castle. "This is at the royal wedding, when my friend Meghan married Harry." After describing her dress, jewels and fascinator, William said, "What's so iconic about this is I was like, 'Royal wedding? I'm definitely wearing braids.' " Did Meghan Markle Just Rewear a Look from Her Royal Wedding Eve? Williams revealed she had two or three stylists braiding her hair — and the process took "all night." "I was so tired. I was like, 'I'm going to sleep,' " she said. "So I lie down, and then they just kept braiding until the morning, and they finally finished." She continued, "It was a very long process, but it was so worth it." After complimenting her husband's look — and quipping that he looked "a lot younger" — Williams said British style was "definitely different." "Women have to wear fascinators, which are hats — I love that they call 'em fascinators," she said. Serena Williams. GARETH FULLER/AFP via Getty Meghan, who recently celebrated her 41st birthday, and Williams first met at the Super Bowl in 2010 and immediately hit it off. They also appeared together at the 2014 Super Bowl, competing in DIRECTV's Celebrity Beach Bowl. They played former NFL pros for the prize, but made sure to make some time for fun on the sidelines. Since then, the Duchess of Sussex and Williams have supported each other, including Meghan watching her friend play at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Meghan Markle, Serena Williams and Hannah Davis. Kevin Mazur/Getty In the debut episode of Stuart Weitzman's Shine Series, which features virtual conversations with inspiring figures about "letting your strength shine through," Williams opened up about why she chose to publicly support the Duchess of Sussex after her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. "Meghan is a great person and I think the epitome of strength, the epitome of confidence, the epitome of just selflessness, and the epitome of everything is just her and everything that she's gone through," the tennis pro said.