WE’RE IN LOVE
So much for Harry’s demands for privacy as Meghan opens her heart to the world’s showiest celebrity glossy
‘We’re a couple. There will be a time when we have to come forward and present ourselves. But this is our time... this is for us... it’s part of what makes it so special... I love a great lovestory’ ‘I have my boyfriend’s support’ MEGHAN’S GUSHING WORDS TO VANITY FAIR TO PROMOTE HER TV DRAMA’S 100TH EPISODE
Meghan Markle has publicly declared her passion for Prince harry for the first time, saying: ‘We’re a couple, we’re in love.’
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the US-born star confirmed they have been dating since July last year after being introduced by mutual friends, and described their romance as a ‘love story’.
asked how she handles interest in her relationship with the Queen’s grandson, she says: ‘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.’
her remarkably candid comments come after harry issued an unprecedented plea for privacy when news of his romance with Miss Markle leaked out last autumn.
Since then the couple have gone to extreme lengths to avoid being photographed together, and the actress has shut down her lifestyle website and social media accounts.
no royal girlfriend or boyfriend has ever spoken so openly about their relationship, and Miss Markle’s comments will ramp up speculation that harry is set to announce their engagement in the next few months.
The Duchess of Cambridge refused to discuss her eight-year relationship with Prince William until they got engaged officially, and even then gave just a single televised interview.
Despite the prince’s earlier pleas for privacy, Miss Markle, 36, has now spoken openly to Vanity Fair in Toronto – where she is based filming the television legal drama Suits – to mark the show’s 100th programme.
It is understood she will start filming again next week and has committed to the show up until Christmas, but has not confirmed her plans after that.
This could mean an official announcement of an engagement towards the end of the year, followed by a relocation to London and a spring or summer wedding. In the interview, Miss Markle opens up about her romance of one year with ‘boyfriend’ harry, 32.
She reveals that the two were very quietly dating for about six months before the relationship became public. ‘I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception,’ she says.
‘We’re a couple. We’re in love. I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy.’
She then adds: ‘Personally, I love a great love story.’
Miss Markle says she tried to shut out the public clamour over their romance, saying: ‘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.
‘I haven’t even read the press for Suits. The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise.’
She admits that dating one of the world’s most famous bachelors comes with a unique set of chalactress lenges, but she praises the prince for his support.
‘It has its challenges, and it comes in waves – some days it can feel more challenging than others,’ she says.
‘Right out of the gate it was surprising the way things changed.
‘But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriend’s support.’
‘nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.’
although Kensington Palace has declined to comment on the article, sources close to harry – who has made no secret of his desire to settle down and become a father – have told the Mail that he was well aware of the interview before publication.
This suggests he may even have sanctioned his girlfriend to speak out as a means of paving the way to formalizing their relationship. The source said: ‘Meghan is a professional and media work is part of the territory. Over the last year she hasn’t done too much [publicity] but it is part of her career as a professional actress. Meghan had an existing profile before they met and had a significant role in Suits ahead of the relationship with Prince harry. This comes with being an actress.’
In the interview, Miss Markle, who in recent years has also been carving out a career as a philanthropist and social campaigner, speaks about her life growing up in Los angeles and how her mother – yoga teacher and therapist Doria Ragland – brought her up to be interested in the world around her.
also commenting on her father Thomas Markle, who was a successful hollywood lighting director, she describes her parents as being ‘so supportive’ throughout her career.
Speaking about their divorce, she says: ‘What’s so incredible ... is that my parents split up when I was two, [but] I never saw them fight.
‘ We would still take vacations together. My dad would come on Sundays to drop me off, and we’d watch Jeopardy! eating dinner on TV trays, the three of us ... We were still so close-knit.’
She also comments on her mixed race heritage and how at ‘almost every photo shoot’ – not including the one in Vanity Fair – they would disappointingly airbrush out her freckles, a part of herself she has ‘always loved’.
Miss Markle adds that the support of her friends has meant a great a deal to her.
This includes that of tennis star Serena Williams, who has advised her on how to handle the attention her relationship has generated. In the interview, Miss Williams herself says: ‘I told her, “You’ve got to be who you are, Meghan. You can’t hide”. ’
harry and Miss Markle recently returned from a three-week holiday in africa during her summer break from filming, visiting Botswana and Zambia. They will be reunited when harry flies out to Toronto to oversee his Invictus games for injured service personnel, which takes place at the end of September.