Meghan and Harry celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary. The story of their love could also come from a screenplay…
Six years ago, Prince Harry (39) married his great love. And sacrificed his close relationship with his family to do so. From the beginning, the love story of Harry and Duchess Meghan (42) offered material for a drama like the ones the Hollywood screenwriters dreamed up. Here are the most important milestones in their relationship:
They met on Instagram in 2016
In their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” from December 2022, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan revealed how they found each other in 2016. “We met through Instagram,” Harry explained. He saw a video on his feed that a friend of his had posted with Meghan. Meghan reports that their mutual friend told her that Harry had asked about her. They then exchanged numbers and wrote to each other, Harry remembers: “Until I said, let’s meet.”
This is how the first date went
When Meghan was in London for the Wimbledon tennis tournament in the summer of 2016, the two agreed to meet at a bar for a first date. “He was just so funny, so refreshingly funny. We were like kids together,” Meghan said of the date. The next evening they had dinner together again and decided “that they would try it together.”
After just two dates: trip to Botswana
After these first two dates, Prince Harry invited Meghan on a trip to Botswana. He later explained in their engagement interview: “We camped together under the stars. We were really alone there, which was really important to me to make sure we had the chance to get to know each other.” Prince Harry later said that during that trip he knew Meghan was his “soulmate.”
The relationship becomes official
At the end of October 2016 there were first reports in the media about Harry and Meghan’s relationship, which was then seen in the legal series “Suits”. In a rare move, Prince Harry confirmed that he and Meghan were a couple on November 8, 2016 – hoping to protect them from paparazzi and negative coverage.
2017: Vacation in Norway and Africa
Harry and Meghan traveled again at the beginning of 2017. The British royal and the US actress are said to have flown to Tromsø, Norway, where they not only observed whales, but also the northern lights, as “The Sun” reported at the time. The couple then went on a three-week trip to Africa in August 2017, including some time in Botswana.
September 2017: Meghan talks about her love
Meghan appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in fall 2017 and spoke openly for the first time about her relationship with Harry. “I can tell you that at the end of the day it’s simple. We are two people who are truly happy and in love,” she said.
Together at the Invictus Games
At the third edition of the Invictus Games, an international sporting event organized by Prince Harry that took place in Toronto in September 2017, Prince Harry caused a surprise: he made his first official appearance with his future wife Meghan.
November 2017: Engagement
After Meghan was reportedly invited to tea with Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), in October 2017, Harry and Meghan announced their engagement on November 27, 2017. The couple revealed in an interview with the BBC that he proposed during a quiet evening at home earlier this month. “It was just so sweet and natural and very romantic,” she recalled. “He got down on his knees. In fact, I could barely let him finish. I just thought, ‘Can I say yes now?'” The couple moved into Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Meghan celebrates Christmas with the royals
A few days after their engagement, Meghan and Harry appeared together as working royals for the first time. The actress then celebrated Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham. The fact that Meghan was already invited as a fiancée was considered special.
May 19, 2018: Meghan and Harry get married in Windsor
Harry and Meghan tied the knot on May 19, 2018 at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Since then they have been the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. King Charles III (75) led Meghan to the altar after her father, Thomas Markle (79), canceled for health reasons. Following the service, the couple hosted a wedding dinner attended by 600 guests. At a private wedding reception, actor Idris Elba (51) later acted as a DJ, and Hollywood star George Clooney (63) allegedly served drinks to the guests.
October 2018: Meghan announces pregnancy
On October 15, 2018, Kensington Palace confirmed that Harry and Meghan are expecting their first child. The news broke while the Sussexes were on their first royal tour of Australia and New Zealand. Meghan and Harry then spent Christmas 2018 again with the royal family at Sandringham Castle.
March 2019: William and Kate’s separation and a new home
The first rift with the family becomes visible: On March 14, 2019, Kensington Palace announced that Harry and Meghan will in future run their offices and household separately, unlike before Prince William (41) and Princess Kate (42). Harry and Meghan also moved into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in April, and their offices moved from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace.
May 6, 2019: Birth of son Archie
Meghan and Harry became parents for the first time on May 6, 2019. Their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor (5) was born. Two days later, the Sussexes presented the baby to the public at a photo shoot.
November and December 2019: time off before leaving
In autumn 2019, the Sussexes went on a trip to Africa with Archie on behalf of the Queen. This resulted in the ITV documentary “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey”, in which the couple talked about how difficult they have it with the British tabloid press. Harry and Meghan then announced that they would be taking a family break of several weeks. They spent Christmas 2019 with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland (67) in the USA.
January 8, 2020: “Megxit”
On January 8, 2020, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, who were in Canada at the time, shocked the world when they announced their resignation as senior royals. In early March, the couple returned to London for their final official engagements as working royals. At the beginning of April they announced the launch of their Archewell Foundation. The Sussexes later also concluded deals through their company Archewell, including with the streaming service Netflix.
Summer 2020: New home and miscarriage
In a November 2020 op-ed for The New York Times, Meghan revealed that she had a miscarriage in July. In August 2020, according to US media reports, a representative of the Sussexes also confirmed that the couple had moved. The Sussexes have lived in Montecito, California since then. The property reportedly cost $14 million.
Second baby for the Sussexes
Harry and Meghan celebrated Valentine’s Day 2021 with special news: they announced that Meghan is pregnant with their second child. Their little girl Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor (2) was born on June 4, 2021.
Attacks on the Royal Family
In a major TV interview with Oprah Winfrey (70), which aired on March 8, 2021, Harry and Meghan revealed numerous difficulties they faced during their time with the Royal Family, including Meghan’s struggles with her mental health and the in their eyes, a lack of support from the royals. In further interviews, their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and in Prince Harry’s autobiography from January 2023, there were further allegations from the two towards the palace.
June and September 2022: Return to the UK
In June 2022, Harry and Meghan came to Great Britain to celebrate her platinum jubilee with the Queen. They reportedly introduced Lilibet to the queen during their trip. However, the couple only played a minor role in the public celebrations and did not make any appearances with high-ranking family members. The Sussexes happened to be in London for a charity event in September when the Queen died. After the monarch’s funeral service, Meghan and Harry appeared briefly together with William and Kate.
Meghan and Harry lose their British home.
However, family peace does not seem to have been restored. In March 2023, it was announced that the Sussexes would have to vacate their Windsor residence, Frogmore Cottage. Apparently at the behest of King Charles. And while Meghan and Harry appear together in public again and again, including in September 2023 in Düsseldorf at the Invictus Games or recently on their trip to Nigeria, Meghan is apparently avoiding her husband’s homeland.
Harry traveled alone to Charles’ coronation in May 2023 and in February 2024, after Charles made his cancer diagnosis public, the Duke of Sussex visited his sick father alone. During a trip to London at the beginning of May, Harry is said to have seen neither his father nor his brother.