When did Harry and Meghan meet? How couple got together, when they started dating, relationship timeline

The Harry and Meghan documentary has officially landed on Netflix. The six-part series follows the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the couple promising to tell “the full truth” about their relationship with the Royal Family.

Released in two volumes, the first three episodes of the series will cover how the couple met, their dating life, engagement and the relentless response they received from the press.

In October 2016, Prince Harry asked for a “statement to be issued” to address press criticism which said Markle had been “subject to a wave of abuse and harassment” and added: “This is not a game — it is her life and his.”

Volume 2 will be released next week and is expected to feature why the couple decided to “step back as ‘senior’ members” of the Royal Family and their subsequent move to America.

So how did Prince Harry first meet Meghan Markle and when did they start dating? Here’s everything you need to know.

When did Harry and Meghan first meet?

In the docuseries Harry explains that he first met Markle during summer 2016 “over Instagram”. The Prince goes on to explain: “I was just scrolling through my feed and someone who was a friend had this video of the two of them, like a Snapchat, with dog ears. That was the first thing - I was like ‘who is THAT?’”

In an interview with the BBC after the announcement of their engagement the couple explained they had been “introduced” by a “mutual friend”.

Despite Harry being a Royal figure, Markle admitted at the time she “didn’t know much about him”. She explained: “Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family.” Adding: “I didn’t know much about him, so the only thing that I had asked [our mutual friend] when she said that she wanted to set us up, was, ‘Well is he nice?’ Cause if he wasn’t kind, it just didn’t seem like it would make sense.”

She said the pair had “met for a drink,” adding: “then I think very quickly into that we said, ‘Well what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again.’”

When did they start dating?

The two reportedly started dating in October 2016 with Markle describing herself as the “luckiest girl in the world” in an interview with The Vancouver Sun. It was also reported that around the same time Harry had brought her to allegedly meet with Prince Charles.

Following the response from the press surrounding rumours they were in a relationship, the Prince released a statement In November 2016 confirming the pair were dating and hitting out at the press coverage.

Explaining that “the past week has seen a line crossed”, the statement said: “His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his.”

It continued: “He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done. He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly.”

In September 2017, Markle officially confirmed the pair were “a couple” in Vanity Fair. She said: “We’re a couple. 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.”

The couple attended their first public event together in September 2017 at the Invictus Games in Toronto.

Here is a timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship:

How can I watch the Harry and Meghan documentary?

The Harry and Meghan documentary dropped on Netflix on Thursday 8 December. The six-part series is being released in two parts, each with three episodes. Volume 2 will be available to watch on Netflix from Thursday 15 December.