A royal love story: how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle forged their path

It was a modern-day meeting for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The Duke, 38, first spotted the American actress on a mutual friend's social media feed in July 2016.

"I was just scrolling through my feed," Harry explained in their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. "I was like, 'Who is that?'"

For Meghan, 41, her own research was crucial. She reportedly viewed Harry's secret Instagram account before their first blind date.

"That to me was the best barometer," she said. "I went through and it was just beautiful photography and all these environmental shots."

Their connection was immediate. After two back-to-back dates in London, Harry invited Meghan to join him in Botswana.

They "camped out with each other under the stars," Harry recalled. It was there he realised she was "everything I've been looking for."

A romance under fire

After months of quiet dating, the news broke in October 2016. The relationship was soon subjected to intense media scrutiny.

The coverage prompted Kensington Palace to issue a rare and forceful statement in November 2016, condemning the "wave of abuse and harassment."

"[Meghan] has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment," the Palace said. This included "the racial undertones of comment pieces."

The statement continued: "It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm."

The couple announced their engagement in November 2017. They married in a historic ceremony at Windsor Castle in May 2018.

Cracks begin to show

The Duke and Duchess welcomed their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in May 2019.

The celebration was later overshadowed by claims made to Oprah Winfrey. Meghan alleged there were "conversations about how dark his skin might be."

In an ITV documentary that same year, Meghan tearfully admitted to struggling with the pressure, telling an interviewer, "Not many people have asked if I'm OK."

Harry revealed the constant camera flashes were a "worst reminder" of his mother's death.

In January 2020, the couple announced their plan to step back as 'senior' royals. By February 2021, Buckingham Palace confirmed the decision was permanent.

A new life and 'the full truth'

In a landmark interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, the couple detailed the pressures they faced behind palace walls.

They settled in Montecito, California, and welcomed their daughter, Lilibet Diana, in June 2021.

Their story was further explored in the 2022 Netflix docuseries, which offered new insights into their post-royal life, as detailed by CBS News.

Harry teased that only they knew the "full truth" about what happened, calling the inner workings of the media and the Palace "a dirty game."

He claimed family members questioned why Meghan deserved special protection from the press, viewing the scrutiny as a "rite of passage."

"I said 'the difference here is the race element,'" Harry explained.