Meghan MarkleandPrince Harry’s romance was sparked around the Fourth of July.
Prince Harry, 38, looked back on his life so far inSpare, his groundbreaking memoir released in January. Part 3 of the book began with the story ofhow he metMeghan, 41, after seeing her photo whilescrolling on Instagramin the summer of 2016. Meghan and a mutual friend named Violet made a silly video on Snapchat, and Harry wrote that he’d “never seen anyone so beautiful” when her face popped up on his feed.
The prince asked Violet to make an introduction, and Harry and Meghan met up at Soho House while theSuitsstar was in London. The evening went so well that they got together the next night — July 4 — and Harry brought something sweet to apologize for being late for their first date!
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2016, the year they started dating.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty; Ray Tamarra/GC
“She walked in, wearing a pretty blue sundress with white pinstripes. She was aglow. I stood and said:I bear gifts. A pink box. I held it forward. She shook it.What’s this?” the Duke of Sussex wrote of the surprise. He urged her not to rock the box, and they both laughed.
“She opened the box. Cupcakes. Red, white and blue cupcakes, to be exact. In honor of Independence Day. I said something about the Brits having a very different view of Independence Day from the Yanks, but, oh, well,” Harry wrote, adding that Meghan said the treats “looked amazing.”
Their server came and went, and Harry and Meghan shared a kiss.
“Again the conversation flowed, crackled. Burgers came and went, uneaten. I felt an overwhelming sense of Overture, Prelude, Kettle Drums, Act I. And yet also a sense of ending. A phase of my life — the first half? — was coming to a close,” he said of falling for her.
A photo of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry from one of their first dates.Netflix
“As the night neared its end we had a very frank discussion. There was no way round it. She put a hand to her cheek and said:What’re we gonna doooo?” Harry wrote of her take on how they’d date long-distance.
He insisted they had to give it “a proper go,” and invited her tospend a week in Botswanalater that summer, where the next chapter of their courtship would continue. Fans got a glimpse into their trip to Botswana in the Netflix seriesHarry & Meghan, which debuted in December.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share a hug during their trip to Botswana in 2016.Netflix
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
“For me, it was critical to share it with Meg,” Harry said of bringing his then-girlfriend to the country thatholds a special placein his heart.
“We had to get to know each other before the rest of the world, before the media sort of, you know, joined it,” he explained.
source: people.com
