27 February 2023 , 08:00
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle managed to keep their blossoming romance out of the public spotlight for about five months, allowing them to get to know each other in private.
But even without the eyes of the world on them, they had another huge hurdle to face - distance.
After meeting when Meghan was on a short trip to London to watch tennis at Wimbledon back in 2016, they managed to squeeze in two dates in two days before she had to fly home.
But after that they had to make things work from across the Atlantic, and across two time zones.
Meghan admitted it was challenging during the couple's official engagement interview with the BBC, however she said they always managed to make it work.
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Meghan had a starring role in Suits when she started dating Harry (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)Asked it was hard to keep it going, she replied: "It was just a choice. Right? I think that very early on when we realised we were going to commit to each other, we knew we had to invest the time and the energy and whatever it took to make that happen. So yes, with the filming schedule, it was not the easiest (laughs) because it of course included a lot of travel back and forth."
Harry then joked that Meghan had no idea what time zone she was in during the duration of the time they were dating, which Meghan laughingly agreed was correct.
Meghan was still playing Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits at the time, so had regular filming commitments in Canada and a very strict schedule.
Harry went on: "Coming over here four days or a week, and then going back and straight into filming the next day, 4am wake up calls on a Monday, straight into set..."
Meghan and Harry knew they had found something special after just a few dates (PA)Meghan finished his sentence, saying: "Right off the plane and straight to set and just coming back and doing it again."
Harry added: "Trying to stay as close as possible, but on two different time zones and five hours apart does have its challenges.
"But, you know, we made it work and now we’re here, so we’re thrilled."
Meghan mentioned the difficulties of their long-distance love in her wedding speech, which she read out during the couple's Netflix show, Harry & Meghan.
She told her guests their love story, calling it a "modern fairytale". She described herself as a "girl from LA" who "some people call an actress", and Harry as "a guy from London who some people call a prince".
She went on to recall their first two dates, referencing the fact their second took place on Independence Day, and then their third ate in Botswana.
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She said: "And amidst whatever momentary worries that creep in, they look at each other and think, whatever world we’re in.
"They would love and garden and travel and laugh, and rack up more air miles than any couple could have.
"And when the tides were rough, they squeezed each other tighter. ‘Nothing can break us,’ they’d say. ‘For this love, she was a fighter.’"