Harry and Meghan’s postcards from their royal romance
New revelations about the royal romance between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have detailed the couple’s shared passion for travel and the high life. We take you away with them.
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When Prince Harry first introduced the world to his bride, Meghan Markle, the smitten royal said she’d “tripped and fallen” into his life.
But after revelations of their far-flung romance in new Harper Collins tell-all, Finding Freedom, the tripping was from one luxurious holiday hot spot to another.
Detailing the courtship of the controversial couple – who have settled into a new home on California’s exclusive coastline enclave of Santa Barbara – reveals how travel and the high life was at the heart of their connection.
From African sunsets to the Northern lights, Harry and Meghan clearly found each other as they explored the world, hand-in-hand.
HYDRA
Greek Islands
Kissed by the sun, Meghan Markle arrived in London that fateful summer of 2016 with a special glow from a girls weekend on the Greek island of Hydra. Markle had arranged the jaunt as a pre-wedding treat for one of her best friends, Lindsay Roth.
SCARSDALE TAVERN
Kensington, London
Landing in London, the Suits star made sure her UK schedule was part work and part play, starting off at drinks with Piers Morgan, the Good Morning Britain host who had befriended her on Twitter. He downed a pint, she ordered a dirty martini.
DELAUNAY RESTAURANT
Covent Garden, London
Dinner at one of London’s top nosh spots came with a side order of juicy gossip, when Meghan met her friend and business manager, Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne and told her she had a blind date with a certain prince later that night.
SOHO HOUSE
London
After slipping on a navy summer dress and heels in her Soho Townhouse suite on Dean Street, Meghan made her way meet Harry and their date with destiny. Joining a small group of close friends, dubbed the ‘Glosse Posse,’ they drank cocktails at this chic members-only club, managed by Meghan’s friend Markus Anderson. They made such a good match, the couple made dinner plans for the next night back at her hotel.
TABERNA CARMENCITA
Madrid, Spain
With the flames of passion already burning brightly, Meghan made a quick trip next to Spain, where she holidayed with Markus and her fashion designer friend, Misha Nonoo, who had also helped to arrange the blind date.
LE SIRENUSE HOTEL
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
On her next season break from Suits, the royal girlfriend headed to Italy for a girls-only holiday with Canadian gal pal and stylist, Jessica Mulroney, where they spent most of the trip poolside, sipping negronis, Bellinis and champagne.
MENO A KWENA
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
Just six weeks after their first date, Harry whisked Meghan to his happy place, Africa, for their first holiday as a couple. The luxury campsite, near Botswana’s famous Okavanga Delta, is a spectacular mix of glamping and NatGeo-style wildlife on your doorstep. At $1957 a night for a deluxe tent, no wonder Meghan reportedly told friends: “I never felt that safe, that close to someone in such a short amount of time.”
SOHO FARMHOUSE
Oxfordshire, London
Making three trips to London before their secret romance was discovered by the press, Meghan and Harry snuck away for a rural retreat at Soho Farmhouse, popular with the cool kids of London; and another property managed by their matchmaker, Markus.
BABINGTON HOUSE
Somerset, London
He also arranged a super secret stay at this 18th century manor house, where Meghan could get a taste for royal living. Built in 1705, Babington House is a Grade II-listed manor set in 18 acres of countryside in the heart of Somerset, and 30 minutes from Bath.
SOHO HOUSE
Toronto, Canada
Back in Toronto, the couple used their connections to celebrate Halloween at this hot spot. Hidden behind Venetian masks, they were able to party with Harry’s cousin, Eugenie and her now husband, Jack Brooksbank, who was there on a business trip as a brand ambassador for George Clooney and Rande Gerber’s tequila brand, Casamigos. It would be their last night as secret lovers, as The Sunday Express came out with the story of their relationship.
TROMSO
Norway
With word out about their long-distance affair, the couple had to try harder to stay out of sight as they continued their courtship. This time, it was a cosy cabin arranged by Harry’s pal Inge Solheim, where they enjoyed seven days of dog sledding, whale watching, dining on local delicacies and snuggling up to watch as the aurora borealis lit up the skies.
ELECTRIC CINEMA
Notting Hill, London
Back in London, they still tried their luck to live anonymously, sneaking into this famous Notting Hill cinema to watch Hidden Figures. They also ventured out to a gastropub, Sands End, in Fulham, owned by Mark Dyer, the former Welsh Guards officer, who had accompanied Harry on his gap year.
ROUND HILL HOTEL
Montego Bay, Jamaica
A trip to Jamaica would be the first official engagement as a couple for Harry and Meghan, as they jetted off to the destination wedding of his school mate, Tom Inskip. A sneaky paparazzo managed to nab pictures of the happy couple – not the bride and groom – including Meghan in a bikini. But royal aides apparently managed to shut down their publication.
TSUTSUBEGA GUESTHOUSE
Botswana
Back to Botswana for yet another getaway, this time Harry arranged a surprise birthday party for his beloved – more magical African sunsets, hiking through the national reserves and enjoy some quiet time before their engagement together.
VILLA YALIKAVAK BAY
Bodrum, Turkey
Adding more stamps to their passports, the couple jetted off for a five-night stay at a private villa, where Harry surprised Meghan with the Kismet By Milka jewellery she had admired while they shopped: a Hamsa ring and yellow gold seed dots bracelet.
HURLINGHAM CLUB
Fulham, London
Once engaged, Harry and Meghan took their new staff and the Cambridges to toast a new working relationship and the couple’s engagement at this country house and members-only club, which borders on the Thames River.
CLIVEDEN HOUSE
Windsor, England
On the eve of her May 19 wedding, Meghan and her mother Doria spent her last night as a single woman in this 350-year-old stately home. The former residence of Nancy and Waldorf Astor, who entertained everyone from Winston Churchill to George Bernard Shaw and Gandhi. She and her mother stayed in the $1900 a night, Inchiquin Suite.
Originally published as Harry and Meghan’s postcards from their royal romance