The most remarkable move by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this year was renouncing their roles as senior members of the British royal family. The former royal couple commenced 2020 with this huge declaration, choosing to become financially independent members of the public. The split with the royal family did not go as smoothly as anticipated, but Prince Harry and the Queen worked out a deal that turned out to be favorable to everyone.
On a spectacularly sunny day in Windsor, England 2 years ago, the Sussexes' marriage took place. The newly christened duchess wore a Claire Waight Keller for Givenchy wedding dress with a glistening tiara perched on her head as glided into St. George's Chapel.
As we commemorate the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second year of marriage, we take a look back at a special moment between them.
In May 2016, the city where the former Hollywood actress filmed the series "Suits" and where the prince was initiating the 2017 Invictus Games, they were set up by a mutual friend.
This moment transpired before relocating to Los Angeles, before the Windsor weddings, and before two tabloid lawsuits.
Prince Harry reported the meeting to the press, and said he had a gut feeling that Markle was the one "the very first time we met."
He was smitten at first sight. "I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her. I was like, okay, well, I'm really gonna have to up my game!"
When reports broke of the duke and duchess' newfound romance, TV presenter Lizzie Cundy said she immediately messaged Markle. She said that Markle's first impression of Prince Harry was that he was a "catch."
Reports then came that the prince has been secretly dating the "Suits" actress. Prince Harry is "happier than he's been for many years" and "there's definitely chemistry between them," a source said.
The former royal pair met in the summer of 2016 in their first interview post-engagement.
Dating normally comprises of a little social media stalking or a series of messages before a first date in the modern era. But the two alleged that both knew very little about each other before the meetup as they were set up on a blind date.
"It was just a really authentic and organic way to get to know each other," Markle remarked.
Their transatlantic relationship rose to a new feat after being set up. They started text messaging each other daily and Markle eventually started following Prince Harry's private Instagram account.
"Meghan had been a part of the London social scene for a while and had slotted into the high society set really easily," a source shared.
The mutual friend was initially thought to be Markus Anderson, but the mystery matchmaker was confirmed to be Violet von Westenholz, the daughter of a baron. Von Westenholz is a childhood friend of Prince Harry's and also works in PR with Ralph Lauren which is how she met Markle.
