17 Things You Didn't Know About Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's romance is one of whirlwind proportions. Compared to Kate Middleton and Prince William's seven-year dating timeline, the two got engaged (and then married) in under two years. And despite Meghan's Hollywood background, the couple keeps a great deal of their relationship out of the public eye, opening up only for official royal engagements-and even those are rare. Here, 17 things you didn't know about the U.K.'s royal It couple.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry disclosed in their official engagement video that they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend-one that was at London's Soho House. The friend is reported to be Harry's childhood friend Violet von Westenholz, who does PR for Ralph Lauren (which is how she met and became friends with Meghan). But Meghan and Harry have yet to confirm their matchmaker's identity.
In their engagement interview, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed that they didn't know a single thing about the other before their first date. Prince Harry hadn't even heard of Meghan Markle and wasn't familiar with her work on Suits.
When reported matchmaker Violet first approached Meghan about setting her up with a royal, Meghan only wanted to know one thing: "Was he nice?"
While posing for their official engagement photos in November 2017, Prince Harry told photographers that he knew Meghan was the one "the very first time we met."
Prince Harry knew it would be hard to continue to get to know Meghan Markle under the media's magnifying glass, so he whisked her away to Africa where the two fell in love on a camping trip "under the stars."
"[After] only two dates and then going effectively on holiday together in the middle of nowhere [in Botswana]...it was amazing to get to know her as quickly as I did," Harry said during their engagement interview.
Before they were engaged, Meghan Markle spoke their relationship to Vanity Fair. “I can tell you that at the end of the day I think it’s really simple: We’re two people who are really happy and in love," she said last September. "We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception. Nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.”
Prince Harry started to worry about Meghan Markle's safety just months into their relationship when photographers began to flood Markle's mother's door. He then released an official plea to the media via Kensington Palace-something very rarely done by royal family.
"Prince 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. 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."
By December 2016, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had been dating for three months (as far as the public knew), and it turns out Queen Elizabeth loved her from the start. According to Us Weekly Queen Elizabeth II was “fully supportive” of Meghan and was “delighted to see Harry in a loving relationship.”
For their first official royal event as a couple, Meghan attended the annual Invictus Games' opening ceremony in Toronto, a cause near and dear to Prince Harry. The only caveat? The two sat three rows and 18 seats away from each other as Harry was next to other politicians because of his position.
Prior to her official engagement to Prince Harry in November 2017, Meghan Markle started wearing a tribute to her fiancé-to-be in April 2017. TMZ acquired photos of the Duchess wearing a minimalist gold ring with an "H" initial while leaving a yoga class in Toronto. She wore the "H" band on her index finger, but it was definitely a precursor to, ahem, bigger things to come.
Six months before her engagement to Prince Harry in November 2017, Meghan Markle accompanied Prince Harry to his sister-in-law Pippa Middleton's wedding in May. Meghan wasn't photographed at Pippa's ceremony, though she did accompany Harry to the reception. They did, allegedly, have to sit apart though.
During their engagement announcement video, Prince Harry divulged the details of how he proposed to Meghan Markle. Harry described a "cozy night" in their cottage and that he and Meghan were just enjoying each other's company in their home while baking a chicken when Harry got down on one knee.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle back in November 2017. To pop the question, he used a three-stone diamond ring he personally designed with Cleave and Company. The large center stone comes from Botswana and the two smaller side stones are from Princess Diana's personal collection, per People.
Just two months before her royal wedding to Prince Harry, People reports that Meghan Markle was secretly baptized into the Church of England by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Prince Harry and Prince Charles were reportedly among the few royal family members who attended.
In her first solo interview since becoming a royal, Meghan Markle revealed the very special way she included a "something blue" in her wedding look. Sewn into her veil was a patch of fabric from the blue dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry married in St. George's Chapel, while Kate Middleton and Prince William wed in Westminster Abbey in April 2011. Meghan and Harry's wedding venue is the same chapel where Princess Eugenie will marry Jack Brooksbank on October 12 this year.
For her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle wore a custom Givenchy gown with bateau neckline designed by Clare Waight Keller. The Duchess changed into a custom Stella McCartney halter gown for her reception.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's romance is one of whirlwind proportions. Compared to Kate Middleton and Prince William's seven-year dating timeline, the two got engaged (and then married) in under two years. And despite Meghan's Hollywood background, the couple keeps a great deal of their relationship out of the public eye, opening up only for official royal engagements-and even those are rare. Here, 17 things you didn't know about the U.K.'s royal It couple.
Meghan Markle wore an "H" ring months before they got engaged.
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