The biggest milestone moments in Harry and Meghan’s relationship

2016The couple meet for the first time at the members’ club Soho House in London after being set up on a blind date. The precise date is not known but a study of their diaries suggests July 3 is most likely. Harry and Meghan have never confirmed who brought them together but fashion designer Misha Nonoo is one suggestion, while PR Violet von Westenholz is also in the frame. The couple click immediately, arrange another date the following evening and by the time Meghan flies back to Toronto a few days later both are smitten.

August 8: July 3:

Harry whisks Meghan off to Botswana on a five-day safari to celebrate her birthday and give them the perfect opportunity to get to know one another. They spend hours round the camp fire talking and Harry is certain he’s found the one.

News of Harry and Meghan’s relationship leaks out. It’s reported that Harry is “happier than he has been for years”.

October 31:

Kensington Palace issues a statement confirming that the couple are in a relationship, appealing for them to be given space.

November 8:

It’s noted that the besotted couple are wearing matching bracelets.

November 15:

Lovesick Harry reportedly takes a detour to spend

December 6:

precious time with Meghan in Toronto, instead of flying straight home from an official tour to the Caribbean. The Prince travels 1,700 miles out of his way to see his girlfriend.

After spending Christmas apart Meghan and Harry celebrate New Year together in London, then take a trip to Norway to see the Northern Lights.

December 31:

2017Meghan is introduced to her future sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, for the first time and they get on famously.

March 2: January 16:

Meghan accompanies Harry as his plus one to the Caribbean wedding of his friend Tom Inskip. They are spotted holding hands and it’s yet another sign that the romance is the real deal.

It must be love – Meghan gets her first introduction to polo as she sits in the stands cheering on Harry’s team at Ascot. Meghan’s attendance at the high-society affair as a royal girlfriend is interpreted as a sure sign that an engagement is imminent.

May 7:

Harry and Meghan arrive together at the evening wedding reception for Pippa Middleton, Kate Middleton’s younger sister, who marries James Matthews.

June 11: September 5:

Meghan speaks publicly about Harry for the first time, telling Vanity Fair magazine: “I think it’s really simple, we are two people who are really happy and in love.”

The lovebirds meet the Queen for the first time as a couple at Balmoral, Her Majesty’s summer residence.

September 23:

The pair make their first public appearance together at Harry’s Invictus Games, in Toronto. Although they are seated apart to keep her out of the spotlight, they are later spotted canoodling. “They seemed at home with each other,” says spectator Kylie Lawler.

September 25: November 27:

After weeks of