A tale of love at first sight

It was love at first sight for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who both quickly sensed their brief encounter on a blind date could blossom into something much, much bigger.

They were set up by a mutual friend when US actress Markle was passing through London in July 2016, with the couple later revealing they knew little about each other. The speed of their relationship surprised them both.

“The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was a confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned. Everything was just perfect,” said Harry.

Less than two years later, they will tie the knot at Windsor Castle on May 19, sealing a relationship that rapidly grew outside of the media spotlight — and survived when it went public in explosive fashion.

When the couple first met for a drink, both were taken aback. She was 34 and a divorcee of three years; he 31 and with a few foundered relationships and his 10-year army career recently behind him.

Harry had never heard of Markle or watched Suits, the US television legal drama series she had starred in since 2011. “I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her,” he recalled, and thought to himself: “I’m going to really have to up my game here!” Bonding over their passion for the good causes they represented, they immediately set up a second date — for the following day.

A few weeks later, he persuaded her to join him camping out for five days in Botswana, which Harry called a “huge leap” to take so soon — but one that paid off.

The prince said the royal family had been very supportive of the relationship, including his grandparents, his father as well as his brother Prince William and his wife Kate. —AFP

Harry and Meghan wedding mugs

A British pottery is producing royal wedding mugs emblazoned with the description of Prince Harry and US actress Meghan Markle as “game changers, free spirits, big hearts and well-suited”. FAt the Emma Bridgewater ceramics factory in Stoke-on-Trent, central England, a city famed for its pottery, workers are busy hand-making and decorating thousands of the commemorative mugs. —Reuters