Meghan Markle dropped a major hint that she and Prince Harry were “already engaged” at the Invictus Games in Toronto: two months before their official announcement, it has been claimed.
The games were the couple’s first official outing together, and the now Duchess of Sussex, 38, was wearing a £ 137 blouse from her fashion designer friend, Misha Nonoo, called the ‘Husband’ shirt for the occasion.
At the time, many royal observers hoped that the choice of wardrobe was a sign of Meghan’s intentions towards the prince.
And now Finding Freedom, an explosive new biography written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who are supporters of the couple, claims they were already “ secretly engaged ” at the event, after Harry asked the question in August. from 2017.
Meghan Markle, 38, was wearing a £ 137 blouse from her fashion designer friend Misha Nonoo called the ‘Husband’ shirt for the occasion
That month, the couple had taken a romantic trip to Botswana, where they are said to have celebrated Meghan’s 36th birthday and her first year as a couple.
Harry and Meghan did not announce their intention to marry until November 2017, where the duke said he asked the question ‘earlier this month’ while they were ‘roasting a chicken’ during a ‘cozy night’.
Former Suits star Meghan said it was “an incredible surprise,” adding: “It was so sweet, natural and very romantic. She got down on her knees.
In the interview given to the BBC’s Mishal Husain at Kensington Palace, Harry added: “He didn’t even let me finish, he said, ‘Can I say yes, can I say yes? “And then there were hugs and I had the ring on my finger and I said,” Can I, can I give you the ring? “She says,” Oh yeah, the ring. “
“So no, it was … it was a very nice moment, it was just the two of us and I think I could also take her by surprise.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry pose for a photograph in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in West London on November 27, 2017, after the announcement of their engagement.
Meghan and Harry in Botswana in the summer of 2017. According to Finding Freedom, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “secretly engaged in August 2017.”
A friend of the couple told Scobie and Durand that Harry was so ‘obsessed’ after their first date in the summer of 2016 that it was as if he was ‘in a trance’.
A friend of Meghan added: “ He definitely did not hide the fact that he was interested. He wanted her to know that he was very interested.
The book also claims that Harry was the first to say ‘I love you’ in his relationship with Meghan, with friends who revealed that the couple were ‘immediately obsessed’ with each other.
Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, has been written by royal observers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, described as the ‘cheerleaders’ of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
The couple felt a “palpable attraction” after their first date, with Harry reportedly left in a “trance” and Meghan telling her friends “this could have legs.”
Harry had a beer, while Meghan drank a martini while they discussed their work, so absorbed with each other that their sandwiches lay neglected.
The 2017 trip to Botswana was not the couple’s first visit to the African country. In his 2018 engagement interview, Harry recalled how he ‘convinced’ Meghan to fly to join him on a journey, and said they spent five romantic days camping under the stars.
‘I thought three, maybe four weeks [after their first date] that I managed to convince her to come and join me in Botswana, ” he said at the time.
“And we, we camped together under the stars, we passed, she came and joined me for five days, which was absolutely fantastic.”
The country has special meaning for Prince Harry, who visited Botswana for the first time shortly after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he traveled there with his brother and father.
Harry fell in love with the country on his first trip and has since returned regularly, becoming increasingly involved in wildlife conservation efforts in Botswana.
When it came to finding the perfect engagement ring for Meghan, Harry even chose to get a Botswana diamond, which he previously referred to as his ‘second home’.
Some royal aides are reported to fear that the new book may ‘paint Prince William as the bad guy’ and cause a new rift within the Royal Family, as well as causing possible repercussions for the future monarch. In the photo: Meghan, Prince Harry and Prince William on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the 100th anniversary of the RAF, 2018
The stone was paired with two diamonds from a tiara that belonged to Princess Diana.
Finding Freedom offers an intimately detailed and personalized version of the events leading up to the dramatic Sussex departure from real life, with co-authors Scobie and Durand insisting that ‘all the information in this book comes from at least two sources’.
The Sussexs say they did not contribute to the book, but Scobie and Durand’s account is based on a broad view of the couple’s friends.
The explosive biography has claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘hurt’ the Queen by unilaterally mapping their future royal roles without her approval.
Her Majesty is said to have been ‘shocked’ by the launch of the SussexRoyal website that accompanied her Megxit announcement in January.
Harry wanted the former American actress (photographed together in March of this year) “to know he was very interested” and made no secret of the fact that he was interested, according to the book.
Meanwhile, The Sun previously reported that royal helpers fear that the new book may “paint Prince William as the bad guy” and cause a new rift within the Royal Family, as well as causing possible repercussions for the future monarch.
Writing for Vanity Fair, royal expert Katie Nicholl added: ‘There have been claims that the book will further deepen the gap between William and Harry, which fell by the time Harry and Meghan got engaged when William expressed concern that the relationship was also moving fast.
‘At one point things were so terrible between the brothers that they were not talking. While it is not known if the brothers have discussed the book and its findings, William will be understandably nervous about voicing his complaints in public. ”
Calling the book’s level of detail “quite remarkable” and “unprecedented,” Katie went on to say that it was “clear” that the authors had spoken to “numerous sources.”
Revelations in the book have led to the suggestion that there is no going back for the couple, who moved to California with their son Archie a year after retiring from his royal duties in January.
The couple have “torpedoed” any possibility of creating a new position with the help of the Queen and members of royalty when their “trial period” in the United States ends, according to sources.
Biography is already the best-selling book on Amazon UK, two weeks before its release.
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