Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are the ones for books. While many people express distrust of their friends, Meghan and Harry have a friend to thank for introducing them.
Nobody saw the match between an American actress and a British royal family coming, and certainly not the main characters. It is a contemporary fairytale, including the blind date.
Their world collided in July 2016 after one of Prince Harry’s friends arranged a blind date for them.
“We were introduced actually by a mutual friend,” Harry stated during the couple’s first sit-down interview with the BBC.
Many have long speculated on the mysterious matchmaker.
E! The news claimed it was Violet von Westenholz. She is the daughter of a baroness von Westenholz and a childhood friend of Harry’s who also works in public relations with Ralph Lauren, and that’s how she got to know Meghan.
When Prince Harry Met Meghan
Since neither knew much about each other before their first blind date, “it was just an authentic and organic way to get to know each other,” Meghan said.
Meghan didn’t know much about Harry, despite his status in the UK. “Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family,” she explained during the exclusive BBC interview.
She revealed that she would only go to the blind date if her friend confirmed that Harry was excellent.
“I didn’t know much about him, so the only thing that I had asked [our mutual friend] when she said that she wanted to set us up was, ‘Well, is he nice?’ Cause if he wasn’t kind, it just didn’t seem like it would make sense.”
The two met that day for a drink, and they hit it off right away. “We met for a drink,” said Markle, “and then I think very quickly into that we said, ‘Well, what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again.'”
When Harry was asked when he knew Meghan was the right one, he ensured it was the first time they’d met during the photocall in Kensington Palace Gardens.
Going To Africa
Their relationship progressed faster than anyone could understand. Immediately after their first blind date, the two had multiple dates. Just three weeks later, he asked Meghan to join him on a trip to Africa.
“I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana, and we camped out with each other under the stars,” he said, describing the whirlwind romance. “Then, we were really by ourselves, which was crucial for me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other.”
They dated unbeknownst to the public or the press for four sweet months, after which news of their budding romance came out. Meghan described the quiet dating months before October 31, 2016, as the happiest day of their life.
“We had a good five, six months almost with just privacy, which was amazing,” Markle said. In November, Harry came to the rescue of Meghan after tabloids tried to taint her image.
Harry urged the press and social media trolls to stop the “wave of abuse and harassment” directed against his girlfriend.
Both were taken aback by the oncoming attacks. Meghan said she always kept her discretion despite living in the limelight as an actress.
“There was a misconception that because I have worked in the entertainment industry that this would be something I would be familiar with,” she said.
“But I’ve never been part of tabloid culture. I’ve never been in pop culture to that degree and lived a relatively quiet life.”
Despite the initial shock, the beautiful couple managed to have a healthy dating life, which ultimately led to their royal wedding in May 2018 and their infant son Archie’s birth in May 2019.
