How Prince Harry charmed Meghan Markle by winning round her friends

Meghan fell for Harry even more when she realised how great he was with her friends

One of the reasons Meghan Markle fell in love with Prince Harry is how good he was with her friends, a new book about the couple’s path to marriage claims.

In an excerpt from upcoming book Harry: Life, Loss, and Love, author Kate Nicholl explains how when the news of their relationship was made public, Harry and Meghan hid from the press by seeking refuge with Meghan’s close friends Ben and Jessica Mulroney.

The Mulroneys live in Toronto with their three children: seven-year-old twins Brian and John, and four-year-old Isobel.

As Harry and Meghan were in Toronto when the news broke, they hid from the paparazzi at the Mulroneys’, and this is where Harry made such an impact on Meghan.

“When Harry came to visit the family he brought a bag filled with gifts,” a source told Nicholl, whose excerpt is published in Vanity Fair. “He won the kids over in an instant.

“He was brilliant with them and I think what swung it for Meghan was how good Harry was with them.”

“I actually think that might have been the moment Meghan really fell for Harry. He got to know the Mulroneys quite well, and they liked Harry from the beginning.”

Jessica is a stylist and one of Meghan’s best friends, whereas Ben is a TV presenter and the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

When Harry was with the Mulroneys, Ben shared stories from when Princess Diana once stayed with his family during a tour of Canada - at one point, Ben says, Lady Di got bored of talking about politics after dinner so went upstairs to play with the children - Ben and his three siblings - instead.

Sharing these stories endeared Harry and the Mulroneys to one another, which also made Meghan fall for Harry even more.

As speculation from the media and the general public snowballed, the soon-to-be royal couple were grateful for the Mulroneys’ kindness in giving them somewhere to hide.

And, with three storeys and high 14-foot ceilings, the Mulroneys’ home was something of a sanctuary for Harry and Meghan.

Rumours were swirling outside, with journalists and paparazzi hounding Meghan’s family. But at the Mulroneys’ Harry and Meghan weathered the storm together, growing closer as they did.

What can we learn from this? When trying to charm your new boyfriend or girlfriend, make an effort to win round their friends too.