Meghan Markle's 'two-week rule' for her romance with Prince Harry
Harry and Meghan had their first date in 2016
Meghan Markle’s romance with Prince Harry may have seemed like a whirlwind, but behind the scenes, the Duchess of Sussex had a grounded and surprisingly practical “two-week dating rule” that helped build the foundation of their royal love story.
The couple first met in 2016 after being set up by a mutual friend.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first date
In their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, they shared intimate details about those early days, including their now-famous first date at Soho House in London, where Harry was late.
But Meghan gave him a chance and then made the next move. “I called him that evening and said, ‘Look, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow, do you want to grab dinner tomorrow night?'” Meghan recalled. “I’m sure he thought it was so forward and American.”
The second date went even better than the first. Just a few weeks later, the pair met again, this time in Botswana. Meghan flew to join Harry for a five-day camping trip, completely off the grid.
“We were really by ourselves,” Harry said. “Which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other.”
It was on that trip, under the stars in the African wilderness, that Harry said he had a revelation: “I knew she was my soulmate.”
Meghan and Harry’s ‘two-week rule’
But it was what happened next that really solidified their relationship. Meghan reportedly introduced a “two-week rule”, a pact that they would never go more than two weeks without seeing each other in person.
“She had a two-week rule, which was very smart,” Harry said in the docuseries. “She said we had to see each other in or around every two weeks.”
At first, Harry wasn’t sure it would work: “I remember saying, ‘How is that even possible with the stuff that I’m doing? I’m not going to be able to travel to see you that much.'”
She said we had to see each other in or around every two weeks.
But Meghan had the solution. Since she was less recognisable in the UK at the time, she could fly under the radar and visit him.
“It was much easier for me to go and see him in the UK,” she explained. “I could still just get on a commercial flight and go and see him under the radar.”
That steady rhythm of real-time connection gave their relationship stability and allowed their connection to grow stronger. They announced their engagement in 2017 and married in May 2018 in a globally televised ceremony watched by millions.
Today, the pair live in California with their two children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four. Meghan has since launched a new lifestyle brand, As Ever.
In her latest Instagram update, Meghan shared a candid photo of herself running through the surf in a breezy white dress.
“So excited for all the good to come! Running into the weekend like,” the caption read, along with an ocean wave emoji.
Read more: Carefree Meghan Markle runs on the beach in stunning photo as she looks forward to the ‘future’
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