The world of celebrities is a vast one, but when it comes to the various ranking of celebrities, the British Royal family is right there at the top. However, how much does the world really know about these individuals? There is a lot of information out there, but much of it is out there because they want it to be, while much of the really personal information is kept under regal wraps. For example, did you know that Princes William and Harry actually have a hidden step-sister?
Most of the world had no idea, and there is a reason she has been kept out of the spotlight until now.
The story of the current royal generation started in 1981, when Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. Their wedding was one of the most extravagant, emotional, and beloved by the public who thought it was nothing short of a fairy tale wedding and relationship. Sadly, there was a problem brewing right below the surface of this union.
While to the outside world, Charles looked like a doting husband and real-life Prince Charming, this was not at all the case. In reality, Charles was not totally focused on Diana; he had someone else in his heart. Charles had a hidden love that he had to shift his focus from as a result of his royal duties and in honor of his family's wishes.
This was no easy feat for the Prince, but it also did not all go down smoothly in the end, as we all know. This tale started out like a fairytale, but it ended with anything but.
The woman in Prince Charles's heart took it all the way back in 1971. It was during that year that Charles met Camilla Parker Bowles. The two connected immediately and started a relationship easily and happily.
Their relationship lasted for a couple of years but it was after that they the two ended things. While they each went on to marry other people, they never lost the chemistry or feelings they had for one another. They could not ignore the connection that they always shared and it was about to cause even more drama for Charles.
The late Lady Diana was interviewed by the BBC in 1995, after her divorce from Prince Charles, and in the interview said, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." Lady Diana did not play the part of the hurting wife who was going to retreat and cry about her sad news, but rather stepped even further out into the spotlight to focus on the issues that really mattered to her in the world.
She was now about to let her failed marriage bring her down.
During her marriage to Charles, Diana took to her role as a Princess with ease and poise. She loved being the Princess of the People and took her role as the Princess of Wales seriously, bringing new life and spark to the Royal family.
Diana threw herself into her charities, and was a fearless leader in the issues that were dear to her. She became a pop culture icon with her star status, but it was the following task that was the most important one for the late Princess of Wales.
There was nothing more important to Diana than being a mother to William and Harry. Diana was not the usual Royal and redefined what it meant to be a Royal mom. She was as hands on as any mother around, deciding to not have her boys be passed around by nannies or other relatives.
Diana made sure that her schedule worked around her boys, and not the other way around. Diana made sure to include William and Harry as much as she could in her work, as well as be the one to drop them off at school.
While Diana never let her mothering waver from her boys, her marriage to Charles was falling apart. By the mid-1990s, this Royal family was on the brink of disaster. First, Diana and Charles separated, then they followed that up with officially divorcing one another.
Their relationship was over and things were not looking too good, however, the worst was yet to come for this Royal family but also for the nation and world. Tragedy beyond comprehension was about to befall them all and no one saw it coming, least of all Charles and the boys.
On August 31, 1997 Diana was involved in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris. The car Diana was in crashed into a support pillar while they were driving fast in order to avoid the paparazzi which was pursuing the car vehemently.
In an announcement that the world was not ready for, Princess Diana of Wales died at the local hospital soon after arrival due to internal injuries that she sustained from the crash. This was a dark day in history, one that to this day people cringe when they think of.
Needless to say, the world was stunned to learn that Diana had passed away. People from all over the world came to London to pay their respects to the Princess. The British public was beside itself and showed their love and grief by putting flowers on the gates of Buckingham Palace.
As you can see in this photo, there were thousands upon thousands of flowers that formed a five-foot thick carpet at the palace entrance. This show of sadness remained for weeks as the public was coming to grips with what had happened.
The funeral for the Princess was a public and horribly difficult one for the public, but especially for Diana's family. Once the funeral was behind them, everyone in the Royal family slowly began working on returning to some form of a regular life, a new regular without Diana.
While the boys did their best to continue on without incident, it was their father, Prince Charles, who would go about doing something that would shock the public entirely and have the world looking to the head of the Royal family for guidance.
It was in 2005 that the world learned that Prince Charles had moved on romantically and was not only seeing Camilla once again, but that the two were set to get married. Princes William and Harry were about to have a new stepmother.
The world was in uproar about this, especially the British public who painted a rather unflattering image of who Prince Charles is and how he treated Diana throughout their relationship while Camilla always being in the sidelines. The photo here is from their wedding that year, the moment Camilla became the Duchess of Cornwall.
The British public saw it as though Camilla was trying to take Diana's place and that was not going over well at all. However, the whole matter was also hard for the family itself. Things were different now and the family needed to pull together to make it work.
Being married to Camilla made Charles very happy and as a result, made William and Harry happy to as they wanted their father to be happy. Camilla was also helpful in this transition, more than they ever thought she would be.
In 2005, Harry was the one to tell the press that, "She's not the wicked stepmother. William and I love her to bits." It was thanks to this comment and time marching on that the British public finally started to accept Camilla as well.
This was the beginning of a better time for the Royals. However, there was something else that Camilla was bringing into this family that was not talked about for a very long time and seemed to be a rather dark secret to not be discussed in a way.
While the public was focused on Camilla herself joining the Royal family, there were very few who realized that Camilla actually had two children from her first marriage - a son and a daughter. One of these two would step into the spotlight without issue, while another would work hard to stay behind in the background and be as silent as can be so as to make sure no one talks about them.
It is true, Camilla was the main focus for a long time and we did not realize at first that there was much more than meets the eye with her.
Camilla's son, Tom Parker-Bowles, is a well known and respected food critic and writer who is a published author and has been on British television quite a bit. He has published several books, and has appeared on Masterchef, as well as helped Chef Gordon Ramsay in his television series, The F-Word.
While Tom has been in the spotlight without issue, he has a sister that is far more secretive in her daily happenings - many forget that Camilla has a daughter to begin with. There was a reason for this secrecy...
Camilla's daughter's name is Laura Lopes. She has remained out of the British spotlight and most Royal events.
She has been in some of the larger events like Royal weddings as those are to be expected, but she never walked with the family and made sure to be behind the major individuals in the family so as to make sure no attention was drawn to her. There is a reason she wanted to stay in the shadow of this great family and out of the public eye.
Both Laura and Tom were just kids when Diana and Charles got married. However, the British press knew about Camilla being Charles's first love and so they always kept an eye on her and followed her about.
This meant that Tom and Laura had to deal with the paparazzi all the time and that was something that was hard on them as kids and shaped their feelings about the press as they got older. Tom handled things better than Laura did, she wanted to remain behind the curtain.
The public did not realize that as Camilla's family, years before she ever married the Prince, they had to deal with the paparazzi outside of their home as they were trying to catch a moment to photograph that would be worth something to the press. They would chase their car while in traffic as well, something that was far too close to what happened to Diana to be comfortable for anyone.
Over time, this grew harder and harder for everyone to handle.
“They’re bullies, half of these people, and they made you very angry,” Tom explained in the Mail. “All I wanted to do was smack them in the face and beat the hell out of them.
But you couldn’t do that.” While Tom was open about his feelings and what he wanted to do to the photographers, Laura took a different way of thinking to all of it. She did not share her brother's openness with the media and took the almost opposite approach to it all.
Unlike her brother, Laura's childhood lead her to retreat from the spotlight as much as she could as she saw it as being a target and withdrew as much as she could.
However, there were sacrifices that she needed to do in order to make this kind of withdrawal possible and that sacrifice needed to be possibly putting distance between herself and her family since they were in the public eye and there was no changing that as long as they were around.
After her wedding to Charles, Camilla told the media that she could not have gotten to where she is today with the attitude she has without her family. She credits them for keeping her sane when the paparazzi was overbearing, and for loving one another and giving strength when needed to make sure they remain as close as they could.
While they do not see each other as much as they would like, blood is thicker than water with this family, despite the distance.
However, rumors about the true nature of royal familial relationships has been in the spotlight for as long as they have been. For a long time now, there has been rumor after rumor about the relationship between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.
Despite Meghan marrying into the family and welcoming a child with Harry, the rumor mill has not ceased to tell the world that the two women were at odds and that there was this problem or that one.
Reporters tried very hard to get the information about what the girls were fighting about, when one realized that the true root of the issue was a problem between the brothers, not their wives. The cold vibe between the couples had more to do with a disagreement that William and Harry had that their respective wives supported each one of them on and not on any issue that the women had with one another.
This happens in non-royal relationships all the time.
William and Harry have been close their entire lives. Especially after their mother passed, they were there for each other and knew that it was them against the world.
However, now as grown men who are husbands and fathers, there were issues that the world was not privy to that caused the brothers to be at odds with one another. This was a first for the guys (at least that the public knows) and it was so strange to think that they were not agreeing on something.
The public was unaware of the issue between the brothers until there was a serious change in the tradition of the Windsors. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan decided to deviate from the rest of the Royals, at least in the physical way of the matter.
They decided to do something that most Royals have not been able to do but these two were adamant about. They were allowed to make their own path, something that Prince William and Duchess Kate were not allowed to do.
You see, after their wedding, Harry and Meghan moved into Kensington Palace so that those in the Royal fold could teach Meghan how to be a Duchess and all that comes with being one. They were there for a year so that Meghan could get used to the lifestyle, which was all completely normal.
What ended up changing, much to the shock of those in the Royal family and the public which knows that this never happens, was probably what caused the rift between the brothers.
Just a mere walk down the road from where Meghan and Harry were staying in that year was the residence of Princess Eugenie, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Just across the grounds from them lived William and Kate in their 21-room apartment.
The Royals always lived next to each other and always in the area designated by the Queen as she is the one making those decisions. For Harry and Meghan, a rule was about to be broken.
However, with the looming birth of Meghan and Harry's first child, the couple decided to say goodbye to "Nott Cott" as it was known, and moved themselves and their belongings to Frogmore Cottage at Windsor.
As you can see in the photo, this home was different than the apartments and was what Harry and Meghan wanted as it was farther away from everyone else and would give them the privacy that they wanted during their pregnancy and married life together.
Nott Cott was about to get a makeover since it was only 2 bedrooms and was Harry's bachelor pad before he met and married Meghan.
The media decided that the real reason for the move had to do with more privacy and wanting to be out of the Royal behavior spotlight, as well as out of the spotlight of the British media that was known to be very invasive and almost dangerous, which is known all too well thanks to what happened to Diana.
However, with the move and the birth of baby Archie, the ice between the family seemed to only grow. The media's speculation was also growing as they initially thought it was minor but could not for the life of them figure out what was causing the cold shoulder from within the Royal family.
William and Harry only seemed more and more cold to one another and it was not something that made anyone comfortable with. What could have happened to make this rift grow?
At last, the real reason for their move was finally uncovered. The friction between the Royals started when Meghan and Harry got together.
You see, as soon as William met Meghan for the first time when she came for a visit at Kensington Palace, William decided to have a little sit down with his brother and give him his two cents about the woman he was dating and was hoping to marry... This was the beginning of all of the cold shoulders and rift.
William saw just how much Harry and Meghan were in love with one another and knew that the direction that they were going in was one of marriage. William sat Harry down and decided to advise him not to rush into anything with Meghan.
He expressed his apprehension about moving fast and taking the deep dive into such a serious commitment, one he had done himself but only after many years of courtship. This was just brotherly advice from one older brother to his younger one.
“William told his brother they knew nothing about her background, her intentions, what she was really like,” a source said. It was said that William tried to be sensitive and gentle about his concerns but that Harry did not take the advice very well and was actually pretty annoyed with William for his sentiment.
Many of us can relate to having an older sibling giving their opinion on their relationship, most of the time it is unsolicited, but when it comes to the Royal family it is a must.
The same source, a royal court member, spoke more about William's talk with Harry, “He just wanted to stress that becoming part of the Royal Family is a massive undertaking, and the pressure and scrutiny are [sic] unrelenting.
Was Meghan the right one?” While this is a very good question, Harry was sure to have thought about all of this when it came to Meghan and knows just how hard it is to be a Royal and being in the spotlight the way they are.
Needless to say, Harry did not agree with his brother. He saw William's conversation with him about the subject as a below the belt hit at the woman that he loved.
Meghan was already used to the spotlight, being a famous actress in the United States who was used to the media, had fans, and people who knew her. She was also already dealing with the public scrutinizing her family and he was not about to let his brother do the same.
It was not totally clear as to the true source of the palace's coldness towards Meghan but many people think that it was due to Meghan's family that there was such an issue. Her father, Thomas Markle, and her half-sister, Samantha Markle, made it hard for the palace to be okay with them and with Meghan as they were constantly talking to the press and making life for the Royals that much more complicated.
The public did not look to finely on Meghan's family either.
There were those, however, who said that the source of the palace's coldness towards Meghan actually came from the fact that she is half African American. This was not a proud moment or thought considering how negative and prejudice it is.
The other reasoning was that they did not like the fact that she was an actress and was able to show a side of herself that they were not sure was even real. They did not know if they were getting the real Meghan.
While the criticism came, Harry and Meghan stayed the course and did not let anything get to them (at least in front of the public eye). Their love for one another was plainly seen as well. Meghan was quickly becoming a beloved Royal, despite the worries that William and the rest of the Royal family may have had.
Meghan was taking to Royal life very well, at least it seemed that way. Being in love and adored is wonderful, but it does not mean everything is perfect.
The source who spoke about the couple actually said that it seemed that the drama sourced from Harry of all people. “He will brook no criticism of Meghan,” one source said.
“And he is so sensitive he often sees criticism or negativity where there isn’t any.” This is something many couples battle between their own families, but when you are someone like Harry who has the whole world telling him their opinion, it is easy to see how things can get complicated.
“It’s my opinion that Harry feels he couldn’t protect his mother, so he’s going all out to protect his wife.” That is what it seems to be the root of the issue for Harry, who was very close to his mother and could not help but feel helpless when she passed at no control of his own. It also did not help that Diana was plastered all over the press every day which was a huge hardship for her and her family and ended up being connected to her death.
Harry was not about to let history repeat itself.
The Fab Four, as we know them - William, Harry, Kate, and Meghan - were supposed to be thick as thieves. However, the tension between the group was even greater when the Queen named Harry the Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth.
William was essentially being passed over in order to appease Harry, which only made matters worse. The brothers were not ones for petty fights over titles and appointments though, and so this was an added tension but not as bad as it was made out to be.
Much of the public does not listen to the press when it says that these Royals are fighting as they do not like the idea and have decided that most of the time it is the press trying to have a good news day.
However, when the Fab Four themselves were asked if they get into arguments and disagree on things, it was William who said, "oh, yes." That is what you get for honesty, but it also makes sense, after all these four are siblings and there is always drama there.
After William answered that question for everyone, the couples all nervously laughed. Harry was the one to answer the following question about if the group ever works out their troubles with each other, to which he replied, "we don't know." While it was all fun and games, there seemed to be an underlying tension between the brothers and their wives, something that even the public picked up on and could no longer ignore.
The bond between the brothers was showing signs of strain.
The issues between the brothers seemed only to be made worse by the complicated dynamic between Kate and Meghan. As soon as Meghan entered the royal fold, she had hoped that Kate would be an ally for her and a help in getting the hang of all things royal since she had been in the fold much longer than she had.
Meghan had truly hoped for this to be the case, but their complicated relationship was not a good home for this to happen.
During the time when Meghan was entering the royal fold, Kate was pregnant with her third child and was caring for her older two children as well as her royal responsibilities. Kate had a lot to handle without helping Meghan and so did not get the memo that it was expected of her.
Meghan saw Kate's lack of assistance as a snub to her welcome and started an even greater level of stress between the women and their husbands.
While it all seemed to make sense, no one really knew if the tension between the women was actually real. Perhaps they were friends, or just something else altogether.
The women never spoke to the press about how they felt about one another. Both of these women were also raised as non-royals and so it was a huge transition from commoner life to that of a royal in front of the whole world to see and have an opinion about.
The future sisters-in-law (at the time) had their first official appearance together in 2017 on Christmas Day when they went to church with the rest of the Royal family. Both Kate and Meghan were not raised royal, but they were each far from each other too. Kate is English, whereas Meghan is American.
They could not have come from more different worlds yet somehow found their way to the same place. Here we see them during that first outing, along with Prince Phillip.
While Kate was not raised as a royal, she came from a wealthy and privileged background. Kate's parents ran a vastly successful party supply company, which allowed her to attend University of St. Andrews in Edinburgh, where she met and befriended her classmate, Prince William.
This photo of the two was from their time at university and shows them as younger versions of themselves at the beginning of their relationship. There was a long way for these two to go to get down the aisle.
After many years of dating, and one short breakup, William proposed to Kate in Africa in 2010. Their wedding was called "The Wedding of the Century" and was the event to see in 2010 as it was televised for the world to partake in.
After marrying Prince William, she gained the title of Duchess of Cambridge. The following year, Meghan Markle also got married, but this was a far cry from a royal wedding to a prince and everything to do with Hollywood.
While William and Kate were enjoying being newlyweds and getting to know their lives as married royals, Meghan was across the pond in Los Angeles on her way to marry producer and actor Trevor Engelson. However, after only two years of marriage, they decided to end their relationship as Meghan's career was beginning to really hit a high note and Trevor's did not.
This is a tough and well known power struggle in Hollywood; there could only be one successful party in this case.
Meghan had small parts during the beginning of career, such as being the briefcase girl on Deal or Not Deal. However, when she finally grabbed a huge deal when she landed the role of Rachel Zane on the legal show Suits that aired on USA.
This was the beginning of Meghan as the major star that we all know and love today. Her role on the show was a large one and one that was important to the storyline.
With her bright Hollywood role and stardom, Meghan made good friends. One day in 2016, one of her friends did her a huge favor (without her knowing) and set her up on a blind date with non other than Prince Harry.
Clearly their date went well as they started seeing each other more often and their relationship heated up faster and more intensely as they realized that there was indeed something here about the two.
It was not long before Meghan landed a coveted invitation of Kate's 35th birthday party. The invitation meant that Meghan made a really good impression on the Royal family, or so it seems, otherwise she would not have gotten the personal invite.
Whether it was a courtesy invite or not, Meghan was there and she gave Kate a dream journal as her birthday present. This was the beginning of the women getting to know each other, as well as the rest of the Royal family meeting Meghan.
Whether they liked it or not, the women were going to get to know each other better, and as sisters-in-law. In 2018, Harry married Meghan in a hugely lavish ceremony, much like William and Kate's.
Meghan, a divorced actress from the United States of African American descent had officially become a Royal, a Windsor. This was a huge step forward for the British Royal family and indeed a step into modernity and crossing barriers that would have prevented this from happening years before.
Now that Kate and Meghan were officially sisters-in-law and were firmly within the Royal fold, there was an even bigger curiosity as to how these two women got along.
A royal insider had given it up that the women had a rocky start to their relationship and that was something that was stressful for everyone, but also for the public as they saw these women as ones who could not possibly love one another as they were Royal sisters!
The reason for the rocky start between the women had a lot to do with the fact that Kate was pregnant with her third child, son Louis, and was feeling pressure from the public regarding her physical appearance and her duties. She did not have the right amount of time to teach Meghan everything and had many things of her own to worry about.
There were probably more misunderstandings than we even know about, but this sure was one.
However, it was during that hard time that Meghan shared some dietary advice with Kate in order to help her through the rest of her pregnancy. With that helping hand, Kate decided to reciprocate and decided to help Meghan with a big dilemma of her own.
The sisters working together was bound to only make good things happen, it is far better than fighting amongst themselves. Working together, they were able to figure things out better.
Meghan was new to the whole Royal lifestyle and Kate was a veteran at this point. Kate knew how to act and how to dress, what the protocols were and why they were even in place.
Kate was now in a place where she could help her sister-in-law with this whole thing and teach her the ins and outs of royal life. There were a lot of little pieces that Meghan needed to learn, but with Kate by her side, it was about to get easier.
As soon as the two started seeing eye to eye and no more misunderstandings took place, a bond quickly formed between them. The women spent one on one time together, going to Wimbledon together to see the games.
Throughout the match, you could see the two women speaking and exchanging comments and jokes with one another. As you can see in this photo, they seemed very keen on each other and the photographer was probably one of many documenting everything.
Meghan and Kate grew closer as sister on a personal level, but they also got closer professionally. Kate took Meghan under her wing by inviting her to join the Royal Foundation Forum, which was an organization that was started by William and Harry.
It made sense that Meghan join them in this too as they were working together as a family and Meghan was now a part of this family officially. This photo is the one that started the nickname, the Fab Four.
For Meghan, this was a large step in the right direction. “She really admires how Kate has carved out her own space when it comes to humanitarian work alongside being an amazing mother,” said a source that is close to the Royal family.
The balance between motherhood and responsibilities that are unrelated to parenting is a tough one for any one, but in this case it is especially hard as it is for a Royal.
In late 2018, Meghan and Harry announced that they too were expecting a child together. The world rejoiced for the couple, but no one was more excited than Kate for Meghan. Kate was ecstatic to be able to go through parenting their children together and see them raised together in similar ages.
However, she did not foresee another huge change that was about to show itself. There was always something with these ladies.
Meghan and Harry decided to move out of Kensington Palace and into Frogmore Cottage. The cottage was a separate roof from where the rest of the family and this was not the way things were done.
Everyone in the royal family usually lives on the same grounds, but Harry and Meghan wanted their own place and privacy away from the eyes of every other royal around so that they may have time as expectant parents.
When Meghan first met Harry she learned just how scrutinizing the world is of your every move and relationship. Harry and Meghan met on a blind date and knew nothing about each other other than the obvious. Meghan especially, knew very little about Harry's royal blood and history and needed to educate herself on it should her relationship go further.
And go further it did. They did not start their relationship in the most fairy tale of ways, but they are well on their way to the fairy tale ending.
When it comes to talking about Harry, Meghan has always been tight-lipped. However, she did say, “I didn’t know much about him,” Meghan told BBC, “so the only thing I asked… was, ‘Well is he nice?'” Harry did not know who Meghan even was before he met her, he knew little to nothing about the woman he was about to meet.
We wonder just how awkward it was for the two when they first met, it could not have been that bad since they clearly liked each other.
The two hit it off right off the bat. Just a mere few weeks after meeting each other, Harry invited Meghan to go on a trip with him to Africa that was to see his charity.
“[It] was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other,” the prince recalled. This was the perfect setting for these two love birds to get to know each other and have privacy away from the United States or England.
The two managed to keep their relationship quiet for a number of months (something that seems near impossible these days!), but it was finally known that these two were an item in late October 2016.
A source close to the prince said that Harry had “been desperate to keep the relationship quiet.” We can see why he would want that as his mother's life was run by the media and he did not want his to be as well.
On the day that they went public, so to speak, Meghan posted this photo of the two bananas on her Instagram page. The two spooning bananas was said to be a subtle signal to the world about her new relationship status.
Everyone was asking themselves if this was Meghan's way of confirming the relationship rumors since it seemed so far fetched that she would be dating Prince Harry! Alas, she was and the news was finally out in the open.
The tabloids were quick to jump on the story from every possible angle. They wanted to get every little bit of gossip about each one of them separately as well as together.
Meghan was used to the media attention, but even for her this proved to be a whole new level of spotlight. This was a far more aggressive and spirited campaign against her and about her, it was not all bad but it was indeed all intense.
“There was a misconception that this would be something I would be familiar with,” Meghan told BBC. “But I’ve never been part of tabloid culture.
I’ve lived a relatively quiet life.” She was used to red carpets and events with photographers, maybe people recognizing her on the street, but to be followed to every little move you make was something new and wholly uncomfortable for Meghan to have to deal with and it was only getting worse and worse as time went on.
The press got worse and worse and more relentless at following Meghan. They wanted to get the information first about everything she was doing and be the ones to break it to the British public. they went as far as harassing Doria, Meghan's mother, in order to get information about Meghan.
It was at this point that Harry decided that enough was enough. He was seeing many similarities between this situation and the one his mother went through and it was too much.
Harry released a statement through the Royal House that called to end the harassment of Meghan and her family: “Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety.
It is not right that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.” This was his way of warning the press about their pursuit of Meghan, he had the power to make their lives more difficult if they were not going to listen to their own warning.
Harry's statement surprised the press and did its job at calming down the frenzy a bit. However, it was not long before more rumors started to circulate, this time about Prince William being unhappy.
It was at this time that William made his own public statement for the first time, something that he had not done before and only showed just how serious this situation was. Diana's boys were not going to be bullied by the press anymore.
Part of Prince William's statement read, “The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him.” While it was rare for the Royals to make statements like this, this was to show the world that they are a united front and and they had zero problems with coming to Meghan's defense when they feel it has been too much and invasive.
By the time the end of 2016 came around, Harry's statement was old news, with the new news being that Queen Elizabeth herself gave her blessing and approval on Meghan. The Queen is not just the head of the United Kingdom, she is also grandmother and a huge fan of her beloved Harry.
A source said, “[The Queen is] delighted to see Harry in a loving relationship.” Every grandmother would want her grandchild to be happy and healthy and Harry was both.
Meghan liked Harry's grandmother and the Queen herself as well. She spent some time with her as part of getting to know the family and showing just how strong Harry and Meghan's relationship was.
“It’s incredible, to be able to meet her through [Harry’s] lens,” she shared with BBC. The Queen was smitten with Meghan, and here you can see that she is actually sharing one of her rare true smiles with the now-Duchess.
“Not just with his honor and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother… She’s an incredible woman,” she added. Meghan had nothing but wonderful things to say about her future family matriarch and ruler, which was also smart of her since the country as a whole loved their Queen and there was not changing that.
Meghan was in with the Royals now and there was also no going back from that.
Finally, Harry and Meghan made the announcement that the world was waiting for - they were engaged to be married! “I can see them engaged by the spring,” a friend of Harry’s told Us Weekly.
“He’s head over heels.” Their nearest and dearest were over the moon and the British (and American) public was through the roof to learn that this was real and not a publicity stunt. It took us all a few days to take it all in!
Meghan started coming to more and more events with Harry as his fiance and was being introduced to the extended royal family. Meghan also started spending much more time with William as the one closest to Harry and it was said that the two got along beautifully.
“Naturally, William is very happy for his brother,” a source said. It was now comforting for Harry to see his brother coming around after that initial piece of advice that made him defensive early on.
It was also time for Meghan's family to meet the royal one. Meghan eventually flew her mother, Doria Ragland, to London to meet Harry and the rest of the Royal family as they were about to become legally linked.
This was getting very real and serious for everyone involved and it was nothing short of the most exciting time in the country for a while. Doria was just as happy for her little girl as the public was.
Harry may be a prince but he was still nervous to meet his future wife's mother since she carried so much weight with his loved one and he wanted to impress her as much as he could. However, his nerves were unfounded as he and Doria hit it off right off the bat and were instant friends.
This was yet another indication of how much Harry and Meghan were right for each other.
Following the initial meeting, Doria was seen with Meghan and Harry during other occasions. When asked if Harry had met her father since he had met her mother, Meghan said, “He’s talked to my dad a few times, [but] hasn’t been able to meet him yet.” This was the beginning of something rather strange with her father and her entire father's side of the family.
Meghan was in for quite a ride with them, as was the entire Royal family.
For much of their relationship prior to their marriage, Harry and Meghan lived apart but never far. When Meghan was in Toronto filming episodes of Suits, Harry would be visiting her non stop and making sure they saw each other often.
When Meghan was not filming, she was in London with Harry. These two were not about to let geographical distance make a difference in their relationship, they were going to make it work no matter what.
The next step in their relationship came when Harry asked Meghan to come with him to a friend's wedding Jamaica (which Meghan obliged to of course). Many of Harry's close friends and family took this as a sign that they were getting serious and taking the next step in their relationship.
This photo from the wedding seemed to confirm it all for the public and their inner circle. Things were getting real between the prince and his American princess.
Another step in the serious direction happened when Meghan closed her lifestyle site, The Tig, which she was very proud of.
Despite the rumors that she did this for Harry as it was part of Royal protocol, Meghan insists that she shut down the site because she wanted to shift her focus to her philanthropic work, however, the rumor mill had done its job by then and everyone thought that it was because of Harry and Harry alone.
The intensity got even greater when Meghan flew to London right before the wedding of Pippa Middleton, Kate's sister. It was said that Meghan was driven directly from Heathrow Airport upon her arrival to the royal palace.
There is only one way to see this and it was that she attended the wedding with Harry and added even more fuel to the media fire as Harry's date for the wedding, which meant another step in their relationship since this was his sister-in-law's family.
Meghan was at Pippa's wedding, which made it the first time she had been spotted a family event that was related to the Royals. Meghan was also seen at the Audi Polo Challenge, cheering Harry on from the stands, acting very much the part of the proud and supportive girlfriend.
Meghan was setting her place beside Harry and slowly but surely everyone else followed suit to see her as his partner in all things.
The very first time Meghan went to a major royal event came about in September 2017 during the Invictus Games. The games honor wounded, sick or injured veterans through competitions and sports.
This was a cause near and dear to Harry's heart and it was an even bigger statement that he brought Meghan to the event as his significant other. Meghan very much looked the part as well, wearing a poppy along with the rest of the family.
The games that year were held in none other than Toronto, where Meghan was living. The couple went out a few times while they were there, holding hands in public as they did so.
They were also seen out with Meghan's mother, Doria, furthering the notion that these two were going to combine families very soon. The couple looked happier than ever and was not even trying to hide their relationship from anyone anymore.
It was over a year later that Meghan finally spilled the beans about her and Harry. She interviewed for Vanity Fair magazine, where she also graced the cover of the issue.
Her tell-all interview was all about her and Harry and how they got to where they are at the time of the interview. Meghan was becoming a real life fairy tale princess (or Duchess) and it was a cause of fascination among the public.
"We’re a couple. We’re in love,” Meghan revealed. “I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell.” The fact that Meghan was this honest and open was something that was unlike any other time.
She knew the world was hungry to know more but she was also not going to tell everyone everything. They were keeping a lot of things to themselves.
“But,” she continued. “I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that’s just ours.
But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story." Meghan knew that the public wanted more but she was also protecting her relationship and her hopes for the future. The two were not shy about their affection for one another, as you can see here...
The proposal followed and Meghan was one happy woman. The news of the two getting engaged traveled fast across the inner circle before the public knew of it, at which time Prince Charles issued an official statement saying, “His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms.
Meghan Markle.” These three were about to become the best of friends and the most unlikely allies in this crazy Royal world of theirs.
As William and Kate did after announcing their engagement, Harry and Meghan also sat down for an interview with the BBC. Harry and Meghan were asked how the proposal happened, to which Meghan replied that it took place in their Kensington cottage and it was a sweet moment that she said was perfect and exactly what she wanted.
Harry, in turn, said how nervous he was at the whole thing but that he was happy with how it turned out.
“It was just a standard typical night for us,” Harry said before Meghan added in: “Just a cozy night… trying to roast a chicken. It was just an amazing surprise, it was so sweet and natural and very romantic.” They described it like a good book and were very much entranced with one another throughout the interview.
There was no question here that they were in love and could not wait to start their lives together.
Harry said that Meghan was so excited that she did not let him even finish asking the question before she yelled yes! "It was just the two of us and I think I managed to catch you by surprise as well," Harry said to Meghan.
He was proud of his ability to catch this girl by surprise as he knew he wanted to make sure she had no idea and was overjoyed with the proposal.
During the engagement photoshoot, Harry was asked when he realized Meghan was "the one", the woman he wanted to marry and spend the rest of his life with. His reply: "the very first time we met." No more perfect a response had ever been said to this question.
There was something from the very beginning about these two for these two and it has proven itself longterm and committing as these two are on the road to even greater things.
It was on May 19, 2018 that these two love birds tied the knot at Windsor Castle in front of thousands of people outside and hundreds of guests inside. There were also tens of millions of people tuning in across the globe to the televised version of the events that were there for anyone to join into.
The wedding was one of the most tuned into events of that year (color us not at all surprised).
Meghan wore a gown designed by Givenchy, and added royal accessories such as a diamond and platinum tiara that was from the Queen's personal collection. Due to much drama, Meghan's father did not come to the wedding.
It was decided then that Prince Charles would walk Meghan down the aisle, which he did very nicely. It meant a lot to Meghan to have her future father-in-law involved in such a way, especially since her own father had made some bad decisions.
To complete this story (for now) Meghan and Harry wasted no time in adding to their family and announced on October 15, 2018 that they were expecting their first child together. Baby boy Archie was born several months later and looks just like dad, Harry, with his loving mother doting all over him.
These two are sure to be incredible parents, who are protective as they are loving, especially Harry and especially with the press.
Princess Diana was known to the world as the Princess of the People.
She spent her time running her philanthropic causes, children's organizations being among them.