Before Prince Harry decided to settle down and marry Meghan Markle, his relationship status often made headlines. From his rumored hookup with a former Real Housewife to his on-again, off-again relationship with Chelsy Davy, Us Weekly breaks down his dating history.
“For so many people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who fits the mold,” the prince explained in the first episode of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan docuseries, which debuted in December 2022. “As opposed to someone who perhaps you may be destined to be with. [It’s] the difference between making decisions with your head or your heart.”
The Duke of Sussex noted that all of his past girlfriends had their lives “turned upside down” when they started dating the famous royal.
“[I learned] the pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution. I remember thinking, ‘How can I ever find someone who’s willing and capable to be able to withstand all the baggage that comes with being with me?’” he said.
Harry met Meghan during summer 2016 after he asked a friend to introduce them when he saw the Suits star on social media.
“Meghan and I met over Instagram. I was scrolling through my feed, and someone who was a friend had this video of the two of them, it was like a Snapchat,” he recalled.
Meghan revealed she was using the puppy filter in the footage. “That was the first thing, I was like, ‘Who is that?’” Harry added.
He proposed in fall 2017 and they wed the following May.
“I remember my family first meeting her and being incredibly impressed,” Harry said on the series. “Some of them didn’t quite know what to do with themselves, so I think they were surprised, maybe surprised that the ginger could land such a beautiful woman and such an intelligent woman. But the fact that I was dating an American actress was probably what clouded their judgment more than anything else at the beginning: ‘Oh, she’s an American actress. This won’t last.’”
While their relationship has lasted — and they went on to welcome son Archie and daughter Lilibet in 2019 and 2021, respectively — Harry and Meghan opted to stop working as senior members of the royal family in 2020, relocating to California.
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“By the nature of being born into this position and with everything else that comes with it and the level of hate that has been stirred up in the last three years — especially against my wife and my son — I’m generally concerned for the safety of my family,” Harry explained. “This is about duty and service I feel as though being part of this family, it is my duty to uncover this exploitation and bribery that happens within our media.”
