Prince Harry has revealed that he abandoned his own strict three-year dating rule when he met Meghan Markle in 2016, knowing almost immediately that she was the woman he would marry. The couple, who married in 2018, had a whirlwind romance that contradicted the guidelines Harry had set for himself as a young royal bachelor.
A Rule Broken for Love
In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry recalled always holding "firm rules" when it came to relationships, particularly given his royal status. He wrote: "The main one was that you absolutely must date a woman for three years before taking the plunge."
However, Meghan proved to be the exception. Harry added: "But Meg seemed the shining exception to this rule. All rules. I knew her straightaway, and she knew me. The true me. Might seem rash, I thought, might seem illogical, but it's true: For the first time, in fact, I felt myself to be living in truth."
From Royal Life to a New Chapter
Before meeting Meghan, Harry was a full-time working royal living in his Kensington Palace cottage, near his brother Prince William. The couple married in a Windsor wedding in 2018, two years after they first met, and two years later they quit the Royal Family and moved to the USA.
Now, six years after relocating to America, the Sussex family have returned to the UK, moving to the Cotswolds in August. The couple continue their philanthropic work, and their children are enrolled in a British school.
Family Relations Remain Strained
Harry's relationship with his family is still strained, although the Sussexes reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla during a private family meeting at Highgrove in July, marking the first time Charles had seen his grandchildren in four years.
Despite efforts to reconcile with his father, it is believed that Harry and his brother and sister-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are still not on speaking terms. With Christmas approaching, it is understood that Harry and Meghan will celebrate the festive season in the USA with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland.
