Prince Harry reveals how he popped the question to Meghan Markle

Publish Date
Tuesday, 28 November 2017, 10:00AM
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle during a "cosy night" in.

The 33-year-old royal popped the question to the American actress earlier this month, and after the news of their engagement was announced, the pair has now revealed details of how the romantic gesture happened.

Speaking to the BBC in their first televised interview together, 36-year-old Meghan said: “It was a cosy night, we were roasting chicken … and it was an amazing surprise. It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee.”

The Suits actress didn’t have to think about her answer either, as the pair revealed she was already saying yes before Harry had finished proposing.

When asked if it was an immediate yes, Meghan said: “Yes! As a matter of fact, I could barely let [Harry] finish proposing.”
And the flame-haired Prince added: "She didn't even let me finish. She said 'Can I say yes’. Then there were hugs and I had the ring in my finger. I was like ' Can I give you the ring?' It was a really nice moment. Just the two of us.”

Despite the pair only having dated for 16 months prior to their engagement, Meghan insists the relationship hasn’t been a “whirlwind”, as they had “five or six months” to get to know one another without being in the spotlight.
The brunette beauty said: “I don’t think that I would call it a whirlwind in terms of our relationship. There have been layers attached to how people it has become, after we had a good five, six months almost with just privacy, which was amazing. I think we were able to 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.”
Photo / Getty
The couple revealed that their romance first started after they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend.

After just two dates in July 2016, Harry says he “managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana” where the pair “camped out with each other under the stars.”

Harry explained that that “fantastic” time together what helped their relationship grow. “[It] was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other,” he said.

Meanwhile, Meghan revealed that she didn’t even really know who the British royal was before they met.

“It's so interesting, because we talk about it now, and even then...you know, because I'm from the States, you don't grow up with this same understanding of the royal family," Meghan said.

"I now understand very clearly: there's a global interest there. I didn't know much about him, and so the only thing I had asked her when she said she wanted to set us up was...'Is he nice?' Because if he wasn't kind, it just didn't seem like it would make sense.

And so we went and met for a drink, and then I think very quickly into [our first date] we said, 'What are we doing tomorrow? We we should meet again.'"

"It was like, 'Right! Diaries! We need to get the diaries out and find out how we're going to make this work,'" Harry added. "Because I was off to Africa for a month and she was working. We just said, 'Right, where's the gap?' And the gap happened to be the perfect place."

Prince Harry also revealed that he had no idea who Meghan Markle was or that she starred in the popular TV series Suits before they met.

“"I'd never even heard about her until this friend said 'Meghan Markle.' I was like, 'Right? OK, right. Give me a bit of background? Like, what going on here?'" Harry explained.

"So, no, I'd never...I'd never watched Suits. I never heard of Meghan before, and I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her. There she was, sitting there. I was like 'OK, well, I'm going to have to up my game [and] have a sit down and make sure I've got good chat."

Prince Harry and Meghan announced their engagement with a royal statement issued by Harry's father, Prince Charles.
It read: "His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle.
"The wedding will take place in Spring 2018. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course.
"His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month.
"Prince Harry has informed The Queen and other close members of The Royal Family.
"Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents.
"The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.”
- Bang! Showbiz, additional reporting by The Hits

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