It has been over five years since Prince Harry and Meghan got married. The couple is constantly in the news, mostly for the wrong reasons.
Prince Harry is the Duke of Sussex and the younger son of the current king of England, King Charles. He was born Henry Charles Albert David on September 15, 1984, at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London. Harry was educated at Wetherby School, Ludgrove School, and Eton College. He is the fifth in line to the British throne, having served in the British military and became a patron to several organisations.
Meghan Markle, born Rachel Meghan Markle on August 4, 1981, is a former American actress and currently the Duchess of Sussex. Apart from being royalty, Meghan is a staunch advocate for women. Many have likened her to Harry’s late charismatic mother, Princess Diana. No wonder the prince fell for the actress.
However, the couple’s relationship has not been a fairytale of just love and living happily ever after. They have been hit by several controversies, resulting in them stepping down from royal duties.
Therefore, let us take a closer look at Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met through a mutual friend in 2016.
“We met for a drink, and then I think very quickly into that we said, ‘Well what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again,'” Meghan recalled as quoted by People.
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During episode one of Harry & Meghan, the couple revealed that they first connected on Instagram.
“I was scrolling through my feed and one of my friends and someone who was a friend had this video of the two of them, like a Snapchat,” Harry said.
“I was like, ‘Who is that?'”
The couple dated quietly for six months before going public with their relationship. On October 30, 2016, news broke out about their romance. People learned from a source that Meghan had already met then-Prince Charles and that the relationship was more than a fling.
“Harry is pretty serious about her, and she is pretty serious about him,” the source said.
In November of that year, Harry confirmed his relationship with Meghan in an attempt to protect her from the paparazzi. After that, the couple was publicly seen attending events together and vacationing together in exotic destinations. On October 19, 2017, Meghan accompanied Harry to meet the now-late Queen Elizabeth for tea. The meeting was reportedly for about an hour before the couple left in station wagons with blacked-out windows.
Are Prince Harry and Meghan married?
On November 27, 2017, Harry and Meghan announced their engagement. A statement from Clarence House read: “His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle’s parents. The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.”
The couple later gave an interview with BBC the same day and revealed that the engagement happened during a quiet night at home when Meghan was roasting a chicken.
“It was just so sweet and natural and very romantic,” she recalled. “He got on one knee. As a matter of fact, I could barely let [him] finish proposing. I was like, ‘Can I say yes now?'”
Meghan’s engagement ring consisted of a centre diamond sourced from Botswana, where they met and fell in love, and two outer diamonds from his late mother Princess Diana’s collection. The couple also lived together at Nottingham Cottage following their engagement.
On May 19, 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. The then-Prince Charles walked Meghan to the alter as her father, Thomas Markle was hospitalised due to a heart condition. The prince was seen wiping away tears as Meghan approached him at the alter. Following their marriage, the couple officially became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
On October 15, 2018, Kensington Palace confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan were expecting their first child.
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019,” Kensington Palace said in a statement at the time.
“Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”
The couple welcomed a son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor on May 6, 2019. On February 14, 2021, Harry and Meghan announced they were expecting a second child after having a miscarriage in the previous year. They welcomed a baby girl, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor, on June 4, 2021.
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What happened to Prince Harry and Meghan?
Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship has been steeped in controversies since announcing their engagement. First, Meghan’s father, Thomas, reportedly staged photographs for a paparazzi photographer in return for money. Meghan’s elder step-sister, Samantha Markle, claimed that it was her idea as she wanted the world to see that her father was in great shape and doing healthy things ahead of the royal wedding.
Although Thomas could not walk his daughter down the aisle due to his heart condition, he claimed he was never sent an invitation in the first place. Samantha and her brother, Thomas Markle Junior, also called Meghan out for not inviting the Markle family to the wedding. They granted several interviews, making several unverified claims against their step-sister. Only Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, attended the wedding.
On the other hand, it was reported that Meghan had a quarrel with the current Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, in which Meghan reportedly claimed Kate made her cry. In a later interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan claimed it was Kate who made her cry but the Princess of Wales later sent her flowers as a peace offering.
After the royal wedding, there were several reports of rifts between Harry and his elder brother, the Prince of Wales and current heir to the throne, Prince William. Prince Harry and Meghan eventually moved to Frogmore Cottage after Kensington Palace announced that they had officially separated their offices and split their household from Prince William and Kate.
On October 18, 2019, Meghan filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers for printing portions of a “private and confidential letter” she wrote to her father. Days after her lawsuit was announced, Meghan and Prince Harry announced they would take six weeks off from royal duties to focus on their family.
In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they would be stepping down as senior royals and they would stay in Canada. The announcement shocked the world. They were stripped of several privileges including security. The couple were forced to move to Los Angeles, United States after the Canadian government reportedly failed to provide security for them.
In September 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan signed a multi-million dollar contract to produce projects for Netflix. On March 8, 2021, the former royals granted a bombshell interview with Oprah, where they revealed Meghan’s struggles with her mental health and a perceived lack of support from “The Firm,” and being subjected to racism.
The couple later released a docuseries, Harry & Meghan, on Netflix, which received mixed reviews. On January 10, 2023, Harry officially published his memoir, Spare, which has since become the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book, with 400,000 confirmed sales in all formats on publication day.
Meanwhile, Meghan launched her podcast ‘Archetypes’ in August 2022, but its success was overshadowed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II the following month. Both Harry and Meghan attended the Queen’s funeral and briefly reunited with Prince William and Kate. Harry was also present for his father’s coronation as the King of England but Meghan was noticeably absent.
The $20 million Spotify deal, however, fell apart after Harry and Meghan reportedly failed to produce sufficient content. Meanwhile, various rumours have been swirling around in recent weeks suggesting that the couple’s marriage was hitting the rocks. However, Harry and Meghan shut the rumours down by affectionately holding hands when photographed by paparazzi in Santa Barbara, California on June 30, 2023.
Overall, Prince Harry and Meghan’s marriage has been subjected to all manner of controversies. But the couple is still standing strong together and there is every indication that they are for a long ride together.
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