Harry and Meghan: The royal love story

Not a commoner anymore, the former Suits actress Meghan Markle is as of yesterday, officially royalty. A journey filled with drama, intrigues and family betrayals. By Pauline Muindi

She was raised Catholic, while the royals are traditionally members of the Church of England. She is black and American, and was married before, a marriage that crumbled after two years. Meghan Markle is also three years older than her husband; something frowned upon in the upper echelons of society. Definitely not your typical princess. Not that the lovebirds are bothered by that.

When Prince Harry got down on one knee and popped the big question, Meghan Markle couldn’t wait to say ‘yes’. And who can blame her? After all, Prince Harry was arguably the most eligible bachelor in the universe. Despite the ginger-headed royal being only the fifth in line for the throne at the time, he captured hearts with his laidback party boy lifestyle and rugged good looks.

Blind date

They first met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend in July 2016.

One of the prince’s friends revealed that Prince Harry, who was a fan of the US TV drama Suits, where Meghan plays ambitious paralegal Rachel Zane had been nursing a crush on the svelte actress for a couple of years. This thus leads to the conclusion that he might have personally requested the mutual friend for a date with Meghan.

As for Meghan Markle, who had divorced her first husband in 2013, all she asked their matchmaker was “Is he nice?”

When she met him, wasn’t she over the moon to be on a date with a real-life prince? Not really.

“Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family,” she explained in the couple’s first sit down interview with BBC.

The date was a hit — so much that they immediately set up a second one for the following day. On their second date, Harry invited Meghan to join him on a trip to Botswana three or four weeks later. There, they solidified their romance as they camped out under the stars. Harry remembers the period fondly, “Then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other."

Unsuitable royal girlfriend

The rumours that the two could be dating brought forth a wave of racially-charged harassment directed towards Meghan — who has a white father and a black mother — and her family. British tabloids made it clear that Meghan was an unacceptable girlfriend for Harry not only because she was biracial, but also because she is older than him, played raunchy scenes on TV, and was a divorcee. She simply wouldn’t do for their blue-blooded Harry, who had an established liking for high society blondes.

In defence of Harry’s love, the Kensington Palace released a statement confirming the relationship and made an appeal to the media to leave them in peace.

The engagement

On November 27, 2017, it was announced that Prince Harry was engaged to Meghan Markle and the two were to be wed in the spring of 2018. In a brief appearance, Prince Harry told reporters that he had known Meghan was the one from “the very first time we met.” He however, didn’t divulge details about his proposal, but when asked whether it was romantic, he grinned and responded “of course it was.”

Harry had designed the ring, which has a gold band and features a large diamond from Botswana (where they had their first vacation) and two smaller ones from the personal collection of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. The ring was made by Cleave and Company, court jewellers and medallists to Her Majesty the Queen.

The Queen’s approval

Meghan officially met Harry’s grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, on October 19, 2017, when Harry took her to Buckingham Palace for an hour-long tea. According to a royal insider, the two were whisked to the queen’s private sitting room.

According to Us Weekly, Queen Elizabeth II is “fully supportive” and “delighted to see Harry in a loving relationship.”Although the Queen didn’t directly share her opinion on the match, royal sources say that Harry would have never proposed without her approval.

Later in March 2018, the queen gave her formal approval of the engagement in an announcement that read: “My Lords, I declare my consent to a contract of matrimony between my most dearly beloved grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle, which consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council."

Markle family drama

Meghan’s family, which one newspaper aptly described as a “motley collection of individuals who, between them, have a long record of boozing, bust-ups and bankruptcies" has been a big source of embarrassment to the royal couple.

As the wedding approached, Meghan’s father Thomas Markle revealed that he might not be able to attend the wedding as he had had a heart attack and had an operation scheduled. But the real reason for his refusal to walk Meghan down the aisle is linked to the discovery that he had arranged several staged photo shoots with paparazzi. Thomas went back and forth on his decision to walk his daughter down the aisle...keeping everyone confused.

And that’s just the beginning of this family’s scandalous behaviour. Ever since Harry and Meghan’s relationship went public, the dysfunctional Markle family has provided enough drama to keep tabloids occupied.

Recently, Meghan’s estranged half-brother, Thomas Markle Junior, publicly urged Prince Harry not to marry his “jaded, shallow, conceited” sister before he changed tune and started begging to be invited to the royal wedding. On New Year’s Eve, he was thrown in jail after a drunken brawl with his fiancée, while last year he was also arrested for brandishing a gun at his fiancée.

Meghan’s estranged half-sister Samantha Markle (who conveniently changed her name back to Markle in recent months) has been going around giving interviews to anyone who cares to listen or pay. In these interviews, she’s provided a constant flow of largely unflattering information about Meghan. She’s said to be writing a tell-all book titled The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister. She confessed to be the brains behind Thomas Markle’s staged paparazzi photo shoots. Other members of the extended Markle family have also had their share of scandals.

Out of Meghan’s family, she seems to get along best with her yoga instructor and social worker mother, Doria Ragland. Doria got married to Thomas Markle in the late 1970s before they had Meghan in August 1981. They divorced six years later.

What this wedding means

With her wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle becomes the first mixed-race person to marry a senior member of the British royal family. This is a great step for diversity and many hope that it will change race relations from the top.

She will also be the first Catholic to get married into the family — which until 2015 was forbidden as the Queen is the head of the Protestant Church of England. Meghan also wins the title of the first American to become a member of British royalty. Other factors which make the match unique is that she’s an actress and a divorcee. The wedding also broke unwritten protocol by being on a weekend.

Like Kate Middleton, Meghan has gotten a new title on her wedding to mark a transition from a commoner to a royal. The title isn’t Princess Meghan, only people born into the royal family (even Princess Diana’s title wasn’t official) take that title. The couple will instead be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (or Buckingham/Clarence, as the queen sees fit).

THE NEW 'PRINCESS RULES' MEGHAN WILL HAVE TO LIVE BY
According to royal etiquette experts, Meghan will have to learn these unwritten rules of etiquette:
·         No acting career. Obviously, as a duchess Meghan won’t be able to continue her acting career.
·         Refined Queen’s English: She will have to learn to use the words “loo” or “lavatory” instead the American “toilet”. Instead of “mirror”, she will have to say “looking glass”. Using Americanised English is for the masses.
·         Greetings: She has to say “How do you do?” instead of “Nice to meet you” which although polite is used by the lower classes.
·         Public conversation: The nature of public conversation has to be light and positive. She has to avoid conversations around politics, religion, sex and other sensitive topics.
·         Dressing: Hats during the day, tiaras in the evening, gloves on her hands, skirts that sit below the knee, flesh-coloured tights to go with skirts. Unless she’s mourning or attending remembrance events, she’s expected to steer away from wearing black.
·         Posture: She has to keep her posture straight, make eye contact while speaking, and sit with knees together. Crossed legs are a no-no. Her body language must remain open and she should initiate handshakes and conversations first.
·         Hugging and other public displays of affection by royals are generally frowned upon, although in recent times that seems to be changing.
·         She has to curtsey to all members of the royal family who outrank her, and every single person with royal blood. This rule applies when she’s alone, but if she’s with Prince Harry, she will only curtsey to the people who outrank him.