It’s official! Harry & Meghan's KIWI LOVE MATCH
THE LOVED-UP COUPLE ONLY HAD EYES FOR EACH OTHER
It was the moment royal fans had been waiting for and when it came, it was much better than anyone could have hoped for.
Prince Harry and his girlfriend Meghan Markle made their first official appearance as a couple at the Invictus Games in Toronto last week, and showed the strength of their feelings for each other by holding hands.
The public display of affection as they made their way to their seats at the wheelchair tennis match may have looked casual, but will have been very deliberate, say royal watchers, and sanctioned from the top.
The Queen is said to approve of her grandson’s relationship with the American actress and knowing he has her support has freed up the 33-year-old to show the world just how much he loves Meghan.
As well as holding hands, once they took their seats to watch a New Zealand team defeat Australia, they frequently leaned into each other, with Harry whispering in Meghan’s ear and making her laugh.
“It is uncommon for married royals to show affection in public, so to see it from an unmarried couple is unusual,” says one royal observer.
“This is a very clear signal that they are in love and that an engagement is imminent.”
According to some sources, Harry has already asked the Queen for her permission to marry Meghan (36) – something he has to do under law as he is currently fifth in line to the throne – and been given the go ahead. Meanwhile, US media are reporting that he took the next big step when he introduced his girlfriend to his grandmother last month.
Harry and Meghan called into Balmoral to see the
Queen during a two-day visit to Scotland to see his father, Prince Charles (68) and stepmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (70), according to one report.
The couple, who had just returned from a holiday in Africa, made the 12km-trip from Charles’ holiday home Birkhall to nearby Balmoral.
“The entire weekend was a success,” says the source.
“It will no doubt be the first of many encounters.”
The Queen is understood to be pleased to see Harry so happy with Meghan. He has been a worry to the royal family since the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, 20 years ago, especially when he was in his twenties and got into trouble for unruly behaviour, such as stripping naked in a Las Vegas hotel.
Harry has since admitted that he has suffered from anxiety since his mum died and it got to the stage where he felt like “punching someone”.
Living in the public eye left him “very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions”, he admitted in an interview earlier this year.
Counselling has been helpful but since he met Meghan last year, he has seemed much happier than he has been in many years, and definitely more content than when he was with previous girlfriends, including Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas.
There have been some concerns among senior royals about Meghan’s suitability
– not just because she’s American or an actress, but because she’s divorced.
The last time a member of the royal family fell in love with a divorced American (Edward VIII abdicated because he could not remain king and marry Wallis Simpson), it caused huge upheaval that changed the path of the Queen’s life.
But that was a particularly unique situation and Harry’s relationship with Meghan today is very different. The fact that he is not likely to ever be king means he is not facing so much pressure to find a partner who
will be an appropriate consort.
And after Charles and Diana’s disastrous marriage, the Queen has learned her lesson when it comes to making sure that her family members find spouses they are truly in love with.
It is obvious to everyone who has seen Harry and Meghan together that their feelings for each other run deep.
But while there doesn’t seem to be a problem with Meghan, whose behaviour so far has been exemplary, the Queen may not have been too impressed when she heard recently that Meghan’s ex-husband, TV producer
Trevor Engelson, is working on a comedy show about a US divorcée who moves to London and marries a prince.
Meghan certainly wasn’t happy about the news. She and Trevor split amicably in 2013 after two years of marriage, and the fact he publicly refused to discuss her after her relationship with Harry was revealed must have come as a relief to her.
“So for her ex to be making a TV show about a divorcée linked to the British royals is just an embarrassment,” says a friend. “She will feel hurt by this. She will also have concerns about what the royal family may say.”
So far they have supported Harry in every move he has made regarding Meghan, including his decision to issue a highly unusual statement asking for privacy for Meghan.
When it was suggested that his brother Prince William disapproved of the statement, William quickly responded by getting his staff to issue a release denying those rumours.
It read, “The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him.”
The senior members of the family have all been in Harry’s shoes when it comes to deciding how much to reveal about their relationships and understood Harry’s desire to keep things quiet.
Harry and Meghan managed to keep their romance secret for nearly six months before the news broke in November, and have only been photographed together a handful of times, all at private events, such as weddings, until last week.
There was speculation that they would finally be seen together in public at the games, held in Toronto, the city where Meghan lives while filming the TV series Suits. The sporting event for disabled servicemen and women was co-founded by Harry and is a cause close to his heart.
It provided the ideal opportunity for the pair to finally show off a love that looks set to become the next great royal romance.