Famous Couples

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 

How they met

Blind dates don't often result in instant connections, but an expert set-up left Harry knowing she was the one "the very first time we met." The mystery matchmaker behind the pairing has stirred a lot of speculation, with E! News claiming that royal friend Violet von Westenholz introduced the duo. Other theories point to British fashion designer Misha Nonoo, a close friend of Meghan's for years.

Whoever it was knew what they were doing. Meghan said that she "didn't know much about him" going into the date, but asked if he was nice. "If he wasn't kind, it just didn't seem like it would make sense," she said in a BBC interview. The pair met for drinks in July 2016 and immediately knew they wanted to see each other again. "Very quickly into that we said, 'Well what are we doing tomorrow?'" Meghan remembered.

A trip to Africa

Only two dates in, Prince Harry took a big risk just a few weeks later: "I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana and we camped out with each other under the stars," he told BBC.

The move paid off. "We were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other," he explained. The trip still has a lot of meaning to their relationship too. The central stone in Meghan's engagement ringactually came from Botswana instead of the royals' collection of gems .

The rumors start

After almost six months of blissful privacy, tabloids caught wind of the budding royal romance in the fall. The Sunday Express published a story on October 31, 2016, claiming Harry was "besotted" with the Suits actress. It didn't take long for more people to connect the dots. Hello! noted that the pair sported matching bracelets while others synced up Meghan's international Instagrams with Harry's busy travel schedule.