Prince Harry and Meghan: Now it’s official

First official appearance as a couple

TORONTO • Two years ago, he spoke wistfully of hoping to find someone to sit next to him and share the pressures of royal life.

On Monday, Prince Harry’s dream came true, as he was joined by girlfriend Meghan Markle for a picture-perfect first official appearance side-by-side in downtown Toronto.

The prince and Markle held hands as they made their debut on the world stage, making an affectionate appearance at the Invictus Games.

In a remarkably low-key event, meticulously planned by Harry’s team, they joined the families of Australian and New Zealand wheelchair tennis players to watch the semifinal from the sidelines.

Spending time with the wives and children of tennis players, the American actress, who lives in Toronto, chatted happily with everyone around her, accepting small gifts from her new admirers. The relaxed couple sat side by side, leaning their heads closely together to talk between points and laughing at private jokes.

Markle, who appears in the legal drama Suits, wore a loose white shirt, jeans with a rip in the knee and a pair of $600 Sarah Flint shoes, with an oversized handbag.

The prince appeared to talk her through the rules of wheelchair tennis, pointing around the court.

The informal public appearance represented the culmination of a carefully planned campaign to welcome Markle into the royal fold, in a gradual introduction centred around the Invictus Games.

Yesterday, her appearance at the tennis match was unexpected by most, and remained unpublicized until she arrived. As several hundred people turned up to the tennis court set up in Nathan Phillips Square, in front of Toronto city hall, they may have hoped to catch a glimpse of Harry. Instead, suspicions were raised after the prince’s private secretary was spotted making arrangements on site in person.

Shortly before 2 p.m., onlookers were heard to gasp as Harry emerged from the side of court, hand in hand with Markle.

The appearance fuels speculation that the relationship is heading in one direction: an engagement announcement in the weeks to come.

Kylie Lawler, whose husband, Sean, played for the Australian team, said she, too, had learned they would be joined by the prince just half an hour before the couple appeared on court, sending her son to change his shirt so he would look smart in front of the world’s cameras.