Arguably one of the most famous couples of the planet, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in May 2018. The pair welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet in June 2021, more than a year after stepping down as senior members of the Royal family. While the couple has gone strength to strength, Meghan Markle in particular has had to deal with a lot of negative attention since becoming part of the family.

The pair has been understood to have fought a number of legal battles to avoid defamatory material to be published about Markle, something Prince Harry has been concerned with right from the start of their relationship.

Neither of them knew much about each other when they first met, but it quickly became clear that not everyone was smitten with Meghan, even if Harry was. Which begs the question, how did they meet and wind up married, given their vastly different backgrounds?

When Did Prince Harry First Meet Meghan Markle?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met for the first time in 2016. The Suits actress was in London to promote season six of the show. Prince Harry had just flown back to London after attending the commemorative event for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. During the couple's engagement interview with BBC, Prince Harry claimed that he fell in love with Meghan "incredibly quickly" and thought that the stars had aligned for their relationship:

"I'd never watched Suits. I'd never heard of Meghan before. And I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her. And there she was sitting there and I was like 'okay, I'm really going to have to up my game here' and sit down and make sure I've got good chat."

Related: Prince William And Prince Harry Are Back On Good Terms

According to reports, their first date lasted for three hours and took place at the Dean Street Townhouse in London. Prince Harry enjoyed a few beers while Meghan Markle sipped on martinis.

The two quickly bonded over their mutual love for humanitarian issues and philanthropy. The Prince even told one of his friends afterwards that Meghan was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen.

Who Set Up Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's First Date?

While the story has never been confirmed for sure, rumor has it that, like other celeb couples, Harry and Meghan were set up by mutual friends on a blind date.

Violet von Westenholz is the daughter of a Baron and a childhood friend of Prince Harry’s. She also worked in the public relations department of Ralph Lauren which is the reason why she knew Meghan Markle.

According to reports, it might have been Violet who introduced the pair to each other and then set them up on a date. Royal biographer Andrew Morton claimed the following about Violet in his biography, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess:

"While she has been modest about her matchmaking skills – ‘I might leave that for other people to say, it seems likely that she set up Meghan and Harry on their famous blind date."

Related: Netflix Only Gave Meghan Markle And Prince Harry 'A Couple Million' Of Reported $100 Million Deal

However, according to Finding Freedom, it was actually fashion designer Misha NoNoo and Soho House membership director Markus Anderson who set the couple up on their date:

“Despite reports that Violet von Westenholz had set up the date, it was mostly Meghan’s pals Misha NoNoo and Markus Anderson who were in on the first meeting. Misha thought Meghan could be a match for Harry.”

Misha was previously married to Prince Harry's friend Alexander Gilkes and was a long-term friend of Meghan's.

It Was Almost Love At First Sight (At Least For Harry)

A well-placed source had claimed that Prince Harry quickly knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Meghan. Meghan had claimed in a BBC interview that the pair met in a really “authentic and organic way.” But Meghan initially had her reservations about meeting the famous member of the Royal Family:

"I didn’t know much about him, so the only thing that I had asked [our mutual friend] when she said that she wanted to set us up, was, 'Well is he nice?' Cause if he wasn't kind, it just didn’t seem like it would make sense."

However, the two ended up hitting it off immediately and were quickly planning their next meeting:

"We met for a drink, and then I think very quickly into that we said, 'Well what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again.'"

Related: How Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Parent Archie And Lilibet

From there, things seemed to have moved quickly between the pair. The couple went on a second date and within weeks had grown close. As a matter of fact, Prince Harry invited Meghan on a trip to Africa just three or four weeks after their first date. Meghan agreed, as within a few days news broke that Prince Harry was dating an American actress:

"I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana and we camped out with each other under the stars.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."

Despite the obvious issues, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship has remained strong over the years. The couple has settled down in Montecito, Santa Barbara and seem to be enjoying their life together.

Next: This Is Why Meghan Markle's Sister Is Suing Her For Defamation