Modern couple who were supposed to take royals into the 21st Century
PRINCE HARRY’S SEARCH FOR BRIDE TO HEAL HIS PAIN
AS THIRD dates go, it couldn’t have been more romantic. Camping out under the stars in Botswana, Prince Harry said he and Meghan Markle fell in love “incredibly quickly” – proof the “stars were aligned”. It was a love story that was soon to capture the nation’s heart.
The country believed they were the couple to take the Royal Family into the future, adored by a younger generation. They understood how to communicate in modern ways, without the traditional stuffy nature of The Firm.
But there were concerns too. Was Meghan’s LA approach to life just too radical for the royal establishment?
Few could have known then that those niggling worries would explode into a crisis just over three years later.
A well-placed insider told how staff inside the palace were “apprehensive but willing to see how things panned out” with Meghan’s introduction.
But they were dumbfounded within months when the former actress put her own stamp on things.
The source said: “There was a lot of excitement about Meghan’s introduction but it’s fair to say there were more than a few murmurings to the contrary.
“The feeling was one of concern for Harry more than anything else. He’s long craved a quiet life, away from the attention that being a royal brought.
“Yet somehow it seemed he had chosen someone who came from the complete opposite of the world he wanted, not to mention someone who would struggle with the boredom of royal life he often bemoaned.”
The nation’s chief emotion back in 2017 was relief that he had finally found a woman who could care for him after he had lost his beloved mother so cruelly. We had wept as we watched a 12-yearold Harry fighting tears as he walked behind the coffin of Princess Diana. And we celebrated as the 32-year-old seemingly found his soulmate.
It had not been an easy ride. Ever since his mother’s death, he had hit the headlines – and not always for the right reasons.
From wearing a fancy dress Nazi uniform to naked escapades in a Las Vegas hotel, it seemed he was heading down a troubled path. But he appeared to turn his life around when he joined the Army and served in Afghanistan.
“There is no way I am going to put myself through Sandhurst then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country,” he said.
But he still struggled to find the right partner. As brother Prince William, settled down with Kate Middleton,
Harry bounced from woman to woman.
From a fling with model Cassie Sumner in 2004 to a brief relationship with Love Island presenter Caroline Flack, he seemed to struggle to find a woman who lived up to his mum’s standards.
He had an on-off relationship with Chelsy Davy, between 2004 and 2011, when the pair met during his gap year in Cape Town. She was even his date at Prince William and Kate’s wedding.
Harry was linked to singers Mollie King and Ellie Goulding, then dated actress Cressida Bonas from 2012 to 2014. When that ended, due to Cressida being unable to stand the scrutiny, the country wondered whether he would ever find the perfect woman.
“I’ve longed for kids since I was very, very young,” he said. “So I’m waiting to find the right person, someone who’s willing to take on the job.” In the summer of 2016, Harry finally found that woman. It’s believed that he was set up on a blind date with Meghan Markle at a mutual friend’s dinner party.
“I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her,” said Harry. “I was like, I’m really going to have to up my game here.”
Their romance moved at speed. After meeting for drinks following the blind date, they wanted to meet again. She said: “Very quickly into that we said, ‘Well, what are we doing tomorrow?’”
After just two dates, he asked her to join him in Botswana. “We were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure we had a chance to get to know each other,” said Harry.
As rumours of their relationship emerged, controversy followed. At 36, the Suits actress was three years older than Harry, divorced and mixed race. Her mother Doria Ragland was divorced from her dad, Thomas Markle.
But Harry was undeterred, saying he knew immediately that Meghan, was “the one”. And his desire to protect her was evident from the start.
Another royal source said: “Harry believed he had struck the jackpot. He found a beautiful, impressive, sophisticated woman who had successfully made her own way in the world in her career with a heart of gold to go with it.
“She was socially confident and seemed to have all the characteristics to take the pressure away from Harry, who struggled adapting after army life.”
After claims Meghan was receiving sexist and racist abuse, Kensington Palace released a statement to say the Prince was “deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her”. It just brought the couple closer, with Meghan often staying at Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace. And on May 6, 2017 – the day that would become future son Archie’s birthday – they first appeared in public together.
Meghan, from Los Angeles, cheered on her boyfriend at a polo match and the couple were photographed
kissing. As their first anniversary approached, they returned to Botswana, staying at a wildlife habitat and visiting the Victoria Falls. Rumours circulated that a proposal was on the cards, especially when Meghan met the Queen at Balmoral to get her approval.
Harry joked it probably helped that the corgis took to Meghan
“straight away”. With both families on board, Harry popped the question that November as the couple shared a quiet night in at Nottingham Cottage.
They were apparently cooking roast chicken when the prince got down on one knee. “It was just an amazing surprise,” said Meghan.
Harry incorporated two stones from his mother’s jewellery collection, along with a diamond from Botswana, in the engagement ring. The couple began planning their wedding and Meghan started the procedure of becoming a royal. She quit acting, closed her personal social media accounts and learned the etiquette of a future duchess. Another palace insider said: “Meghan made huge sacrifices to be with Harry. She gave up her successful acting career, lifestyle business, arguably her ability to speak freely on big issues she had been invested in. “But there was a feeling the opportunity of joining the family, not to mention the love she felt for Harry, would mean those sacrifices would be worth it to make the real change in the world that she had talked about.
“The Queen has always reminded the family public admiration and acceptance are important for the monarchy’s survival and to not forget that when thinking of outside influences.
“But it quickly seemed like Harry and Meghan were moving in different circles, away from the centuries-old tradition.
“A look at their wedding guests should have been a sign, such as when former confidants or lifelong friends were replaced by global superstars like Elton John and Oprah Winfrey – two people who have become highly influential in the couple’s lives.”
On May 19, 2018, Prince Harry stood at the altar of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. As Meghan walked down the aisle beside Prince Charles, due to the absence of her own father, Harry could not take his eyes off her.
As she reached his side, he whispered: “You look amazing.”
In the 600-strong congregation were A-list stars including George Clooney and Serena Williams.
They watched, along with the rest of the world, as The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry delivered a rousing sermon and a gospel choir helped celebrate their love.
The newlyweds shared their first kiss as husband and wife on the steps of the chapel before taking a carriage through Windsor. They had started their first journey as a married couple, one that would have highs and lows.
But in the words of Prince Harry: “At the end of the day, she chooses me and I choose her. Therefore whatever we have to tackle together or individually, it will always be us together as a team.”
Whatever we tackle it will be together as a team
PRINCE HARRY ON HIS FUTURE WITH MEGHAN