10 August 2023 , 06:00
475
0
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first-ever date was certainly one to remember.
It got off to a rocky start as heavy traffic made him late, but from the moment they ordered their drinks and got chatting they both knew it was something special. They'd previously been messaging on Instagram but had to act quickly if they wanted to meet up.
Meghan, who was an actress on Suits at the time, was in the UK to watch the tennis at Wimbledon and was soon heading back home to the United States. Once they'd picked a date, it came to working out where they were going to meet.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first date was in 2016 (Getty Images)Aware of the security pressures around him and the frenzy that would follow if they were spotted out together, Harry suggested that Meghan could come over to his Kensington Palace home. But his invitation didn't go down well and he got a blunt four-word reply from his future bride.
In his memoir Spare, Harry reveals that Meghan questioned if he was expecting her to go to his house on a first date, before messaging: "I don't think so". Harry realised his error straight away, quickly replying: "No, I didn't mean it like that". He tried to explain the dangers of a public meeting but admitted he didn't do it very well.
Top 20 excuses Brits use to cancel a date - from sickness to work emergency
The couple have now been married for five years (Getty Images)However, they managed to arrange a secretive meet-up at Soho House, a members' bar Meghan knew well which is known for its privacy. And the couple also shared details of their first date in their Netflix show Harry & Meghan, which turned out to be quite short.
But it went so well that Meghan called her future husband later that night to explain the swift exit was just because she had other plans and not because she didn't enjoy it. She told the programme: "I called him that evening and I was like 'I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, do you want to grab dinner tomorrow night?' And I'm sure he thought it was so forward and American. I'm sure he told me it was so forward and American."
They arranged a second date for the following night, returning to Soho House for dinner. It was during this meeting that they decided to make a go of their romance, taking a photo to mark the occasion.
Meghan said: "There was one photo. We just wanted to capture the feeling of just sitting in that little restaurant and going 'Oh my gosh. We were going to give it a go.'"
And Harry added: "That was when it just hit me. I was like, OK, this girl, this woman, is amazing, is everything that I've been looking for. And she's so comfortable and so relaxed in my company."