Prince Harry and Meghan Markle openly discussed their wedding a year after meeting, according to the authors of new biography Finding Freedom.
Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim the Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, consulted with palace aides in June 2017 about when the best time for a ceremony would be.
The couple reportedly met for the first time in London in June 2016, and quickly became ‘obsessed’ with each other, the hotly anticipated book claims.
Although he was yet to propose, Prince Harry reportedly had a ring ‘in the works’ from as early as May 2017, having sourced the ‘conflict-free’ diamond while on a secret scouting mission in Africa with a close friend.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle openly discussed their wedding a year after meeting, according to the authors of new biography Finding Freedom. Pictured in November 2017 after announcing their engagement
‘By June 2017, [Meghan] and Harry weren’t talking about their wedding as a possibility so much as an absolute,’ the authors write.
‘They even went so far as to bring the Palace into the conversation, consulting with the prince’s aides about the best time for a ceremony.’
They added: ‘Unbeknownst to most, [Harry] already had an engagement ring in the works. That May, Harry travelled alone to Botswana in his role as patron of Rhino Conversation Botswana.
‘While in Africa, he did a little secret diamond scouting with a close friend who helped him to source the perfect conflict-free stone.’
Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim the Duke and Duchess of Sussex consulted with palace aides about when the best time for a ceremony would be in June 2017. Pictured in October 2019
Harry and Meghan didn’t announce their intention to marry until November 2017, where the Duke said he popped the question ‘earlier this month’ while they were ‘roasting a chicken’ during a ‘cosy night in’.
However the book also claims they were already ‘secretly engaged’ at the Invictus Games that September, after Harry popped the question in August 2017 while the couple were on a romantic holiday in Botswana – where they are said to have celebrated both Meghan’s 36th birthday and their first year as a couple.
Opening up: Carolyn Durand co-authored Finding Freedom with fellow royal expert Omid Scobie
The bombshell biography suggests Meghan dropped a huge hint she and Prince Harry were ‘already engaged’ at the event in Toronto.
The games was the couple’s first official outing together, and the now Duchess of Sussex wore a £137 blouse by her fashion designer friend Misha Nonoo dubbed the ‘Husband’ shirt for the occasion.
At the time many royal watchers hoped the wardrobe choice was a sign of Meghan’s intentions towards the prince.
Speaking after their official engagement announcement, former Suits star Meghan said it was ‘an amazing surprise’, adding: ‘It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee.’
In the interview given to the BBC’s Mishal Husain at Kensington Palace, Harry added: ‘She didn’t even let me finish, she said, “Can I say yes, can I say yes” and then there was hugs and I had the ring in my finger and I was like, “Can I, can I give you the ring?” She goes, “Oh yes the ring”.
‘So no, it was – it was a really nice moment, it was just the two of us and I think I managed to catch her by surprise as well.’
Meghan wore a £137 blouse by her fashion designer friend Misha Nonoo dubbed the ‘Husband’ shirt for the Invictus Games – perceived to be a hint they were engaged
A friend of the couple told Scobie and Durand that Harry was so ‘obsessed’ after their first date in summer 2016 it was as if he was ‘in a trance’.
A friend of Meghan’s added: ‘He definitely didn’t hide the fact that he was keen. He wanted her to know he was very interested.’
The couple felt a ‘palpable attraction’ after their first date, with Harry reportedly left in a ‘trance’ and Meghan telling friends ‘this could have legs’.
The 2017 trip to Botswana was not the couple’s first visit to the African country. In their 2018 engagement interview, Harry recalled how he ‘convinced’ Meghan to fly out there to join him on a trip and said they spent a romantic five days camping out under the stars.
‘It was I think about three, maybe four weeks [after their first date] that I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana,’ he said at the time.
Meghan and Harry in Botswana in the summer of 2017. According to Finding Freedom, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘became secretly engaged in August 2017’
‘And we, we camped out with each other under the stars, we spent, she came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic.’
The book claims Harry knew Meghan Markle was his soulmate when she went for a pee in the woods on their first trip abroad.
The book says: ‘Harry was delightfully surprised by Meghan’s down-to-earth attitude.
‘While camping she cleaned her face with baby wipes and happily wandered into the woodlands if she needed a bathroom break.’
It adds that Harry enjoyed a classic bacon and egg breakfast on the glamping trip to Meno A Kwena, where they stayed in a £1,500-a-night tent complete with en-suite bathroom and private terrace.
His future wife, however, opted to begin the day with a bowl of fruit and yoghurt, with her morning ritual traditionally consisting of hot water with lemon followed by steel cut oats with bananas and agave syrup.
The book claims Harry knew Meghan Markle was his soulmate when she went for a pee in the woods on their first trip abroad
She is said to have encouraged the prince to adopt a healthier lifestyle right from the start of their relationship, introducing him to yoga and meditation.
The book claims Harry was impressed that she only brought one backpack for the entire trip, which included sunscreen to protect her fair-skinned new partner.
Meghan is said to have told a friend after returning from Africa ‘just completely spellbound’ that ‘I’ve never felt that safe…close to someone in such a short amount of time’.
Botswana has a special significance for Prince Harry, who first visited Botswana shortly after his mother Princess Diana’s death, when he travelled there with his brother and father.