Harry and Meghan Released a Documentary About Their Lives, and Here Are 9 Things We Learned

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s union has been widely discussed ever since they got together. Meghan noted that for the past 6 years, multiple books were released about them by people she doesn’t know, and Harry said that a lot of misinformation had been spread. So, to put an end to all the gossip and let their fans in on the world they’ve created, the couple released a documentary series called Harry & Meghan, which premiered on Netflix.

The year they met, Meghan wanted to enjoy being single.

The couple met in July 2016 when Meghan was on a trip to Europe. The TV show she’d been starring in, Suits, had just renewed for another season, so the then-actress wanted to spend her vacation with her female friends and travel around. “And then came Harry. Talk about a plot twist,” Meghan recalls.

Prince Harry first saw a picture of her on Instagram while scrolling through his feed. He recalls that in the first picture he saw of her, she had a funny dog filter on, but she seemed incredibly charming to him. He had a mutual friend see if she’d be interested in meeting with him. But funnily enough, even though he was a prince, Meghan barely knew who he was.

Their first date started off rough because Harry was late.

Meghan had to sit in a restaurant for half an hour waiting for Harry, all while he kept texting her that he was stuck in traffic and was terribly sorry about that. At that time, she thought she had already figured out what type of person he was, “...one of those guys who has so much of an ego that [you think] any girl would sit waiting for a half hour for you.” She created this picture of him in her head and had already decided that he wasn’t for her.

But Harry came into the cafe looking all sweaty and panting, which gave Meghan a clear sign that he’d actually been rushing and was genuinely caught up in circumstances he couldn’t control. The date ended up going very well, and she asked him out again that same night.

The next night, they met again at the same place, and Meghan was the one who was late this time. She was late by just a few minutes, but she felt embarrassed because she hates being late. To which Harry said, “You could be as late as you want, I ain’t moving. I wanna see you again.”

Harry said that he knew, by his mother’s example, that marrying into the royal family was quite a burden.

Harry witnessed his mother go through a lot by simply getting married into the royal family, including a complete lack of privacy. That’s why he was worried that he would never find a suitable woman.

He said that his past girlfriends were all driven out because their lives were turned upside down once the press got its hands on the news that they were dating. They became the center of attention without wanting it. Harry was worried sick that the media would scare Meghan away as well.

“It was very clear that they were going to go to the ends of the earth to be together.”

They started secretly dating in July 2016, and the tabloids did not get their hands on the story until late October. So the couple had an opportunity to get to know each other on their own terms.

They went together to Botswana with a few friends, where they had no phone reception, no distractions, and had to be around each other 24/7. Both of them knew it’d be a real test to see if they liked each other. Luckily, it turned out well, and since then, the couple made a rule to see each other every 2 weeks: Meghan would catch a commercial flight from Canada to the UK, and they would stay together, out of sight.

“It was very clear from the moment that she told me about him that they were in love and that they were going to go to the ends of the earth to be together,” recalls a friend of Meghan.

Another friend noted that it was difficult to find a way to be together, but they “invented it.”

Even though Meghan was already a public figure, her life drastically changed after people learned she was dating Harry.

Meghan has been an actress since 2002, so one would assume that she is already used to the paparazzi, but she lived a pretty quiet life in Toronto, where she was shooting her show Suits. When the news of her dating Prince Harry broke out, paparazzi started following her everywhere: they were waiting for her outside her home, and they had huge lenses on their cameras, so they would sit on hills and take pictures of her from far away.

She recalls that her friends asked her the tough question: “We know that you love him, but is he worth it? Look what is happening to your life.” Harry himself couldn’t stand to see the second important woman in his life get harassed like this, so he put out a statement to tell the media to back off. He also said that now that he has kids, he wouldn’t want them to find out about this time and ask him what he did to protect mom and hear an unsatisfactory answer.

They got engaged a few weeks before it was announced to the public.

Harry knew that Meghan was the one soon enough because she had ticked all the boxes on his secret list, so he decided that he wanted to settle down with her. As a member of the Royal Family, Harry had to ask the late Queen Elizabeth II permission to marry Meghan, and he couldn’t propose outside of the UK. Once he received it, he set up 15 candles in the garden, got down on one knee, and she said yes.

The couple had an engagement party with their friends before the news broke to the press, and everyone there wore silly animal onesies. Meghan and Harry went in matching penguin onesies because penguins mate for life.

The royal family is just as formal in private as they are in public.

The first time Meghan met Prince William and Princess Catherine, she said she thought they would not be formal once they were out of the public eye. However, the traditions and the formality do not end just because nobody else is watching. Meghan shocked the couple when she tried to go in for a hug since she’s a big hugger, and she felt an immediate cultural difference between them.

Meghan always tried wearing only neutral colors when she was in the UK.

She had found out that the rule for the royal family was to not wear the same color as the late Queen or senior members of the royal family while you were all out at public events. So, to prevent misunderstandings, she tried to find a color that nobody would wear. That’s how Meghan settled on white and beige, and they also helped her to not stand out, which is something she valued greatly.

Despite all their hardships, the couple never gave up.

Harry said: “This is a great love story. The craziest thing is that... I think this love story is only just getting started.” He continued, “You know, she sacrificed everything that she ever knew, the freedom she had, to join me in my world. And then pretty soon after that, I ended up sacrificing everything I know to join her in her world.”

Part 2 of Harry & Meghan premieres on December 15th, where they will tell their life stories post-wedding. As noted in the show’s initial disclaimer, all members of the British Royal Family refused to provide any comments.

What was the most surprising thing about their revelations? What are you looking forward to hearing about in part 2?