If you had told people in 2015 that Prince Harry would meet, date, and marry Meghan Markle, the famous actress from the television series Suits, few would have believed you.
Add to it the proposal that Harry and Meghan depart the Royal Family two years after their wedding – before leveling multiple major allegations against them – and you could have been laughed at.
But that is exactly what happened. Harry and Meghan initially met in 2016, and they quickly fell in love. The pair married in 2018 at St George’s Chapel, but by then, tensions had developed between the Sussexes and Prince William and Kate Middleton. Harry has now revealed that William did not believe he had fully considered his connection with Meghan and that the former actress and Kate did not get along well.
How Prince Harry met Meghan Markle
The first date, which Meghan described as “refreshingly fun,” lasted almost an hour. The couple coincidentally met again the next day, and the actress arrived five minutes late.
Meghan, meanwhile, described how she and Harry had a particular connection from the start. Even though their love was initially long-distance and kept secret from the rest of the world, it never stopped them.
Meghan Markle, like many before her, had terrible tabloid attention after her relationship with Harry became public. In November 2016, he decided to release a statement that not only revealed that he and Meghan were dating but also attempted to defend her from the racist abuse she had suffered.
Prince William & King Charles were “furious” about Harry’s Meghan statement
Harry also addressed the matter in his book Spare, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding Meghan.
Harry went on to explain that the statement infuriated King Charles and Prince William.
Meghan Markle’s ‘awkward’ first meeting with Prince William and Kate Middleton
In 2023, the Sussexes debuted a Netflix special that took viewers behind the scenes of their new existence, including photos and videos of their children, Archie and Lilibet. The couple did not miss an occasion to reflect on their royal history.
Prince Harry decided to expose various information about Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle’s strained relationship. The Duchess recalled her first meeting with Kate Middleton, which was not particularly successful.
Harry also revealed that his brother “recoiled” when Meghan attempted to hug him, as he didn’t usually hug strangers.
In their book Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand said that Meghan and Kate didn’t exactly feud from the start, but rather that the two women do not know each other well enough. Scobie has been known to have close ties to Harry and Meghan, considering himself their friend.
Prince Harry claims William & Kate were “speechless” when he told them about Meghan
Furthermore, Durand and Scobie claim that Kate did not make a substantial effort to welcome Meghan into the family, at least not in the sense that one might expect.
Meghan had thought that Kate would take her under her wing and guide her through all of the new things that someone going from “outside to the Firm” should know. However, the authors claim this never occurred.
According to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle made a strong first impression before meeting William and Kate. According to Harry’s book Spare, when the now-estranged prince told his brother and sister-in-law that he was seeing the TV actress, they were “speechless.” Harry said the couple was “open-mouthed” when they discovered he was seeing Meghan. Sadly for him, William was not convinced.
Prince William feared Prince Harry was ‘blindsided by lust
Even though William originally seemed to adore Meghan, he was also concerned. Harry and his then-girlfriend’s relationship progressed fast after a buddy introduced them on the aforementioned blind date.
Harry was “pissed off” that William even told him to take it slowly, and the word “the girl” offended him.
Of course, Harry and Meghan paid little attention to the fact that they were not a suitable match for one other. The couple married left the Royal Family, and had two children, but the accusations they have made against the monarchy since then have come at a cost.