A royal romance for the books! Prince Harry and his love, Meghan Markle, have been dating for about a year, and now that the happy couple just announced their royal engagement, many people want to know, how did Harry and Meghan meet?
Of course, the royal couple did not leave us guessing!
Just hours after Kensington Palace announced their engagement, Harry and Meghan sat down for their first-ever joint interview with the BBC and the adorable couple lovingly reflected on their first meeting.
“Ah, we first met — we were introduced actually by a mutual friend,” Harry told the BBC, and Meghan sweetly interjected, “We should probably protect her privacy.”
Harry agreed and continued to tell the story.
Shortly after the pal introduced the 36-year-old Suits actress and the 33-year-old royal and set them up on a blind date, they had their first two dates back-to-back in London in July 2016, and it took about three to four weeks of dating before they really got to spend quality time together, one-on-one.
After their first meeting, Harry allegedly “starting texting [Meghan] regularly” and the two hung out again at the Soho House in London with a group of mutual friends in July.
They later went on a few low-key dates and the stunning star soon made her first visit to Harry’s Kensington Palace residence.
The pair are thought to have made things official by August.
“They had gotten on when they first met but it was just as friends. They then developed romantic interests in each other and, before you knew it, they were texting every day,” a source told Us Weekly back in October 2016.
“Harry loves that she is so into philanthropy,” the insider continued.
“One of the first things they spoke about was her shelter dogs. He loves that she’s so caring.”
In November 2016, Harry publicly confirmed he was dating Meghan by condemning the media’s “wave of abuse and harassment” towards his new girlfriend in an official statement.
“[Harry] is aware that there is significant curiosity about his private life. He has never been comfortable with this, but he has tried to develop a thick skin about the level of media interest that comes with it,” the message released by Harry’s communications secretary began.
Image sourced from the official website of the British Royal Family.
“His girlfriend, Meghan, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment… Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” the statement continued.
“He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game.’ He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his,” the message concluded.
One thing is for sure — we love Meghan and Harry as a couple and hope their royal romance stands the test of time!
*This post originally appeared on our sister site, Closer
