It's been almost ten years since Prince Harry was set up on a blind date with then-actress Meghan Markle, who is now known as the Duchess of Sussex and with whom Harry has two children: Prince Archie, six, and four-year-old Princess Lilibet. HELLO! has covered their romance from those early days, through the 2017 wedding, and their 2020 decision to leave the UK and build a new life for themselves in California, and one constant has been their love for each other.
It is rare, however, for the pair to speak about those intimate early days when they were getting to know each other, but Meghan now shared what drew her to the Prince, admitting that his "childlike wonder and playfulness" left her craving more.
"He loves me so boldly, fully, and he also has a different perspective because he sees media that I wouldn’t," Meghan has now told Harper's Bazaar. "No one in the world loves me more than him, so I know he’s always going to make sure that he has my back." Speaking of her husband, Meghan added that he is "someone who just has this childlike wonder and playfulness," and that she was "so drawn to that, and he brought that out in me".
"That’s translated into every part of our life. Even in business, I want us to play and have fun and explore and be creative," Meghan concluded.
The pair have since gone into business together, launching the Archewell Fundation in 2020 and have since signed a lucrative $100 million partnership with Netflix.
Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, will make his first appearance in Meghan’s Netflix series, With Love, when the festive edition airs on December 3 globally. He appeared briefly in the first trailer, which surprised royal watchers as it included a kiss Meghan and Harry share on camera.
Royals have traditionally kept personal moments behind closed doors, but Harry and Meghan often buck those traditions, and have been pictured kissing publicly, and holding hands.
The brief clip, released via Netflix’s official social channels, also revealed a sweet note from Archie and Lili to Santa Claus, which had been handprinted onto a mug. "We have been good," the mug read, as well as a sweet wish for "Santa to travel safely". It was signed: "XO Archie & Lili."
Harry and Meghan are raising their children in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, two hours north of Los Angeles, and the Duchess shared that she works from home in an office off the kitchen.
"It’s a great luxury," she told Harper's Bazaar, revealing that Lili often "comes and sits on my lap when I’m in the middle of the meeting, whether it’s about Profit and Loss for my brand or it’s about something creative".
Meghan previously told Marie Claire that she loves making new holiday traditions with her children, sharing: "At first, as a mom with children, you’re just enjoying having them there, but they’re not understanding everything that’s happening yet. But now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year."