Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's relationship has fascinated us for years. Their stories include love, family, loss and, of course, royalty. But how did the Duke and Duchess of Sussex become the powerful, independent couple they are today? Here's everything we know about the pair's relationship timeline, starting when they first met There it is!
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala
July 2016: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry meet
After meeting on Instagram (a classic story point for 21st century romances), Meghan and Harry went on their first date in London.
“I was scrolling through my feed and one of my friends had a video of them[and Meghan Markle]and it was like a Snapchat,” Prince Harry said in the Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan. He talked about Duchess Meghan's digital introduction at . He remembers asking himself, “Who is that?”
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
November 2016: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry reveal they are officially dating
This was the official statement from Kensington Palace confirming the relationship between Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry.
At the time, Meghan faced a great deal of sexist and racist backlash in the media due to her association with the royal family. Kensington Palace condemned the hatred in a statement.
“Some of it has been very public, with slurs on the front pages of national newspapers; racial overtones in comment sections; and blatant sexism and racism in social media trolls and web article comments.” It is written in the statement. “Part of it is hidden from the public eye, a nightly legal battle to keep defamatory articles out of newspapers.” Her mother struggles past photographers to get to the front door. Attempts by reporters and photographers to break into her home and subsequent filing of large bribes with her ex-boyfriend, almost every friend in her life. A colleague and a loved one were shot.”
Despite the hatred, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry continued to endure as a couple.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
September 2017: Duchess Meghan sheds light on her relationship with Prince Harry
Meghan revealed further details about her relationship with Prince Harry in a Vanity Faircover article in September 2017.
“We're a couple. We're in love,” she told Vanity Fair. “I think there will always come a time when we have to come forward and express ourselves and have a story to tell, but what I want people to understand is that this is our time. This is for us. Part of what makes it so special is that it's just for us. But personally, we're happy. I love a great love story.”
Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation
November 2017: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry engaged
Meghan officially moved to London in the fall of 2017 and announced her engagement shortly thereafter.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan with a ring made from two of Princess Diana's diamonds at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, and Meghan said yes on the spot. is!
Ann official statement The palace has more details about their engagement:
“His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle,” it read.. “His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle got engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry informed Her Majesty the Queen and other close family members. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents.”
Duchess Meghan recalled the moment Prince Harry proposed in the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan.
“He got down on one knee and I thought, 'Yes!'” I was so happy and excited. I thought, “Oh, I'm doing this.”
Ben Birchall/Getty Images
May 2018: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry were married at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Years later, they admitted, citing privacy, that they had indeed exchanged vows three days before walking down the aisle.
“Nobody knows that,” Meghan said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. “We called the archbishop and said, look, this, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union. So what we assembled in the room The vows are just the archbishop and us in our backyard,” said the Archbishop of Canterbury. ”
On May 19, 2018, millions of people watched the wedding on TV.
October 2018: Duchess Meghan announces her first pregnancy
On October 15, 2018, Kensington Palace released a statement informing the public that Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry are expecting their first child next spring.
The news was announced during Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 16-day royal tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. The couple returned home, settled in Frogmore Cottage at Windsor Castle, and began preparations for the birth.
Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images
May 2019: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry have their first child
The couple welcomed their first son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on May 6, 2019. “We are delighted to announce that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their first child in the early hours of May 6, 2019. Their Royal Highness' son weighs 7lbs 3oz,” @sussexroyal's Instagram post read. has been written. “The Duchess and her baby are both healthy and thriving and we would like to thank the public for sharing their excitement and support at this special time in their lives.”
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
January 2020: The couple steps back from their royal roles
After “many months” of contemplation, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided to “move on” from the royal family in early 2020.
In a public statement, the pair shared their plans to step back as “senior” members of the royal family, become financially independent from Her Majesty the Queen, and split their time between the US and the UK.
“This geographical balance allows us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal heritage into which he was born and raised, while also giving our family the freedom to focus on the next chapter, including launching a new charity. ” the statement read. “We continue to work with Her Majesty the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and all our stakeholders and look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course.”
They immigrated to the United States a few months later, staying in Montecito, California until summer 2020 when they bought a house in Santa Barbara.
November 2020: Duchess Meghan announces miscarriage of second child
Meghan has admitted that she suffered a miscarriage during her second pregnancy, writing in a vulnerable New York Times op-ed essay that the loss of her second pregnancy with Prince Harry was an “almost unbearable pain.” Ta.
“As I held my first child, I knew I was losing my second,” Meghan wrote. “A few hours later, I was lying in a hospital bed holding my husband's hand. I felt the stickiness of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from our mutual tears. I stared at the cold white wall, my eyes cloudy, trying to imagine how I could heal.
March 2021: Interview with Oprah
The couple gave a very candid interview with Oprah in March 2021, where they opened up about several topics that have arisen since living in the public eye. They spoke honestly about everything from Meghan's mental health to the dynamics of her royal family, including the racism Meghan has experienced since joining her membership.
Yui Mok/Getty Images
June 2021: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry welcome daughter Lilibet
The couple announced they were pregnant with their second child in February 2021, and welcomed daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor a few months later.
Lilibet was born on June 4, 2021 in Santa Barbara, California.
Kirsty O'Connor/Getty Images
June 2022: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry attend the Queen's Platinum Jubilee
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry headed to Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, marking their first appearance together in the UK in more than two years.
Although the pair did not mingle publicly with other senior royals in attendance, they reportedly introduced Lilibet to the Queen privately during the trip.
“They are no longer members of the[working]royal family and it was a decision they made, but[the public]probably hasn't fully accepted it yet,” a source close to the couple told Peoplein 2022. They returned home with modest homage. ”
September 2022: Queen Elizabeth II's funeral
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were summoned to Windsor Castle on September 8, 2022, shortly after Queen Elizabeth passed away at the age of 96.
They briefly reunited with Duchess Kate and Prince William to support the royal family amid the news. Kensington Palace said the unusual meeting was actually Prince William's idea, with a source saying: “It was an important show of solidarity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.”
Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation
December 2022: Harry and Meghan documentary series begins broadcasting
The first part of the Netflix documentary series about Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry hit screens on December 8, 2022. In the three-part series, the pair told the story of their full love story, their new family, and delved deeper into why they distanced themselves from the royal family.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
March 2023: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry are told to leave the British royal residence.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been asked to “vacate” Frogmore Cottage in the spring of 2023.
“We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been asked to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” a spokesperson for the couple's Archewell Foundation told People.
Andrew Chin/Getty Images
January 2024: The truth emerges about Queen Elizabeth's blessing on Meghan and Harry's daughter's name
An inside source has disputed claims that the late Queen Elizabeth did not give Meghan and Prince Harry her blessing to name their daughter after her nickname, Lilibet.
“Meghan and Prince Harry had 100 per cent permission from the Queen to use the name Lilibet,” a source said. “That report is not true.[Harry and Meghan]have no idea where this came from… They are shocked that this is happening now. It came out of nowhere and out of left field. They just feel like it's the same spear operation going on against them.”
Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation
March 2024: Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry were in Austin, Texas for SXSW
Meghan traveled to Austin, Texas, with Prince Harry as she was scheduled to speak at the 2024 International Women's Day South by Southwest panel.
While in Austin, the couple had a date night at Soho House Austin.
“They were happy and in great spirits,” an eyewitness told People magazine. “Harry was full of energy throughout the dinner. They were very low-key and seemed happy to be surrounded by a cheerful atmosphere in a lively venue.”
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on your favorite couples!
Lead photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation.