Meghan Markle 40th birthday: Best quotes about Prince Harry

The Sussexes are renowned for being private about their relationship

Meghan and Harry in July 2019 (Shutterstock / Cubankite)

Meghan Markle celebrates her 40th birthday today, but how did she and Prince Harry develop their relationship?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry first met on a blind date at Soho House, London, in July 2016. Since then they have become one of the most famous couples in the world, announcing their engagement in November 2017 and getting married at Windsor castle just six months later.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they came to be known after their wedding, went on to have their first child, son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in May 2019.

In January 2020 the couple announced they were stepping down as senior members of the royal family and would be moving from their permanent residence at Frogmore Cottage in the UK. As of July 2020, the family has settled in a new home in Santa Barbara, California.

Since the beginning the couple’s relationship has faced intense media scrutiny and interest, with the pair deciding to keep some information about their private lives off limits, like refusing to publish the names of Archie’s godparents.

But there have been occasions - like their official BBC engagement interview in 2017 - when the couple have opened up about their relationship. Here are Meghan Markle’s best quotes about her husband, Prince Harry.

“Lovehearts in London”

One of the first alleged references Meghan ever made to her future-partner was on her now-deleted Instagram account in summer 2016.  

It was revealed in the royal biography, Finding Freedom, written by royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, that on the night of their first date in the capital Meghan posted a picture of a Love Hearts sweet with the words “Kiss Me” and the caption “Lovehearts in London”.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess has reiterated they were not involved in the writing of the book and it was only based on the journalist’s experiences as royal correspondents.

“Well it’s going to be an experience…and at least it will be a fun night”

The Finding Freedom authors also claim that prior to Meghan meeting Harry she told a friend who she was meeting, and the friend said “you will be the most wanted woman.” 

But Meghan, undeterred, allegedly replied: “Well it’s going to be an experience … and at least it will be a fun night.”

“We’re two people who are really happy and in love”

In October 2017, Meghan gave her first big interview to Vanity Fair magazine. The headline of the piece was “Meghan Markle, Wild about Harry!”

Throughout the piece the former Suits actor did not shy away from talking about her new relationship; talking about privacy, how they feel about each other, and the future.

She said: “We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news...the only thing that changed was people’s perceptions. Nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.”

“It has its challenges, and it comes in waves - some days it can feel more challenging”

In her Vanity Fair interview she also talked about the challenges of being in such a high profile relationship:  “It has its challenges, and it comes in waves—some days it can feel more challenging than others,” she says. “But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriend’s support.”

“This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours”

In her Vanity Fair interview she said: “We’re in love. I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”

“I could barely let [him] finish proposing, like ‘Can I say yes now?’”

One of the most extensive insights into Meghan and Harry’s relationship was the 30-minute BBC interview they gave after they announced their engagement. 

Talking about how it happened - at home while cooking roast chicken - Meghan confessed she could barely let Harry finish asking. She described Harry as “so sweet and natural and very romantic...he got on one knee.”

"I didn’t know much about him. So I only asked one question - is he nice? "

In the BBC interview Meghan was asked but her perception of Harry before meeting him, she said: “As naive as it sounds now, I did not have any understanding of what it would be like to date [Prince Harry]” and explained that “everything I learned about him I learned through him not the media.”

She did confess one question she asked when her friend set her up on the blind date - asking: “Is he nice? If he wasn’t kind it didn’t seem like it would make sense to me…”

“My friends and family had never seen me so happy”

Talking to Mishal Husain, Megan said that although her close circle were worried about the “media storm” at first, they became more understanding when they saw the strength of her bond with her future husband. 

“They had never seen me so happy, once my friends and mum were able to meet Harry, it was just obvious…"

“Everything about Harry’s thoughtfulness…it’s all been worth every effort"

Talking about her engagement ring, which Prince Harry designed himself, Meghan said that it was “beautiful and incredible” and was testimony to his thoughtful character.

The ring was a combination of stones from Botswana, where the couple first travelled together, and gems from Princess Diana’s collection.

“It’s time to work as a team with you”

They also discussed the professional side of their union, as Meghan was to become a member of the royal family - with all the duties that involves, particularly visiting the Commonwealth. She said: “The family has been great and we’ve had [a] really nice time getting to know them and helping me feel part of not just the institution but part of the family.”

Later adding: “No matter what we were being put through, it was just temporary and we were going to be able to get through that.”

“I have the two best guys in the world"

When the pair presented their new baby to the world at Buckingham Palace, Meghan answered the first journalist’s question about being a new mum, saying: “It’s magic, it’s pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”

“My husband is a feminist masculine guy”

In 2020, after Meghan and Harry moved to the USA, Meghan appeared in a video with Gloria Steinem to discuss voting in the upcoming presidential election.

During the discussion Steinem pointed out that you can be “a feminist and be masculine and a guy,” the duchess referenced her husband Prince Harry as proof.

“Like my husband! I love that when he just came in he said: ‘You know that I’m a feminist too, right Gloria?! It’s really important to me that you know that,” Meghan recalled.