Prince Harry revealed that he proposed to US actress Meghan Markle over roast chicken, and said she would be “unbelievably good” at her new royal role despite its pressures. The proposal came at home, from Prince Harry during a "standard, typical night for us" at his home in Kensington Palace as the couple was making roast chicken.
They revealed they knew little about each other when they were set up on a “blind date” by a mutual friend. The date went so well they met up again then went camping for five days in Botswana a few weeks later.Harry said he had never heard of Markle, while the actress added she was largely ignorant about the British royal family and just asked of their friend, “is he nice?”
How Prince Harry Proposed To Meghan Markle
The couple said they were enjoying “a cosy night” at home in his cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace earlier this month “trying to roast a chicken” when he got down on one knee.
“She didn’t even let me finish, she said, ‘Can I say yes? Can I say yes?’ And then there were hugs,” Harry said in the couple’s first interview since the announcement of their engagement earlier Monday.
The prince and Markle held hands on Monday as they walked toward Toronto’s city hall and attended a wheelchair tennis event at Harry’s Invictus Games for wounded veterans. Both were dressed casually, the prince sporting jeans with a black polo shirt while his girlfriend wore a white button-down shirt with blue jeans ripped at the knee. The two stayed for a half-hour and shook hands with the athletes and Invictus volunteers. They left together hand in hand.
How they met
Markle, who grew up in Los Angeles, said she didn't think of theirs as a "whirlwind" relationship. The two met for a drink in July 2016 on a blind date, brokered by a mutual friend, whose name they would not reveal, but "it was definitely a setup," Markle said.
They didn't know much about each other. Markle wasn't too familiar with the British royal family, and Prince Harry had never seen the television show, "Suits," nor any other example of Markle's work.
Harry recalled his first impression: "I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her. There she was sitting there."
He thought, "I'm going to have to up my game."
Shortly after their first encounter, during which they shared their passions and the changes they'd like to effect in the world, they decided another date was in order.
The adorable couple shared a few plans for the future as well, with Markle confirming she is giving up acting, explaining "I don't see it as giving anything up. I see it as a change. It's a new chapter…"
Markle, who has been involved in humanitarian causes, turned to Prince Harry and said, "Now it's time to work as a team with you."
Getting to know each other
They had another date that month and then Harry was able to convince Markle to join him in Botswana a few weeks later. They camped out under the stars for five days, he said.
"Then 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 said.
Added Markle: "We were able to really have so much time just to connect, and we never went longer than two weeks without seeing each other, even though we were obviously doing a long-distance relationship. We made it work."