Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been together for almost a decade – but the Duke of Sussex wasn’t afraid to hide his feelings for the actress from their first date
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s romance has been a whirlwind nearly ten years in the making after a mutual friend set them up on a date in 2016. The royal and the former actress hit it off instantly, with sparks flying from their very first meeting, and Harry wasn’t shy about expressing his affection for Meghan in a heartfelt admission, reports OK!
Their initial rendezvous was at a London pub in July 2016, where Harry famously arrived late! Reflecting on that nerve-wracking day in their Netflix series Harry and Meghan, the duke confessed: “I was panicking; I was freaking out; I was, like, sweating.” Meghan fondly remembered the date too and said: “He was just so fun”, and noted, “Just so refreshingly fun, and that was the thing, we were, like, childlike together.”
Fast forward to roughly 18 months later, Harry proposed with an exquisite ring incorporating diamonds from his mother, Princess Diana’s collection, and they broke the news in November 2017. In their engagement interview, Harry didn’t hold back on his immediate thoughts during their first encounter, revealing he thought to himself: “I really have to up my game here.”
In that same interview, Harry divulged: “I’d never watched Suits, I’d never heard of Meghan before. I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her. There she was sitting there. I was like, ‘Okay, well, I really have to up my game here. Sit down and make sure I have a good chat’.”
Harry spoke about their mysterious matchmaker during a heart-to-heart and revealed: “We were introduced actually by a mutual friend, we’ll protect her privacy”, and emphasised, “It was literally through her.” Meghan chimed in with: “It was definitely a setup…it was a blind date.”
The royal lovebirds, Harry and Meghan, exchanged vows on a sunny Saturday, 19 May 2018, within the historic walls of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The ceremony was a star-studded affair, boasting guests from Meghan’s former Suits colleagues to high-profile figures like Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, and the Beckhams.
Despite the fairy-tale moments, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced their fair share of challenges, from their decision to step back as senior royals to their candid Oprah Winfrey interview and the bombshells dropped in Harry’s tell-all book, Spare. Through it all, they’ve shown resilience and solidarity, especially while parenting their two little ones, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, in their Californian home.
In a touching gesture earlier this month, as Harry hit the big 4-0, he lovingly honoured his children. In a conversation with People, he shared: “The best gift I’ve ever been given is, without a doubt, my kids. I enjoy watching them grow every single day, and I love being their dad.”
