Prince Harry Reveals How He Proposed to Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have given their first interview since announcing their engagement on Monday. 

Conducted by the BBC and broadcast on its flagship BBC One channel, the pre-recorded interview saw the couple describe the moment when Harry first proposed. 

“It happend a few weeks ago, earlier this month, here at our cottage; just a standard typical night for us,” said Harry, with Markle saying that they had been “roasting chicken.”

“Just an amazing surprise, it was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee,” Markle revealed, adding that she said “yes” instantly. “I could barely let him finish proposing.”

Harry spoke of how he “fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly,” adding that the “stars were aligned” to bring them both together.

“This beautiful woman just tripped and fell into my life,” he said, adding that they had two dates in London before he invited her to join him in Botswana last year. 

“It was a blind date,” Markle admitted of the friend who set them up, saying that she didn’t know much about Harry beforehand, or the media scrutiny that would follow.

“I think I can very safely say, as naive as it sounds now, I did not have any understanding of what it would be like,” she said, with Harry claiming that he “tried to warn” her as much as possible. But they both said they were unprepared with some of the reaction, particularly with regard to her ethnicity. 

“It’s disheartening. It’s a shame that that is the climate in this world. At the end of the day I’m just proud of who I am and where I come from,” she said, claiming that despite being in the entertainment industry, she had “never been a part of tabloid culture. I’ve led a relatively quiet life.”

Alongside having met Harry’s brother Prince William, sister-in-law Kate Middleton and father Prince Charles (“over a handful of teas and meetings”), she said she’s also met his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

“It’s incredible. To be able to meet her through [Harry’s] lens, through the love that he has for her as his grandmother. When I met her I had such a deep understanding. She’s an incredible woman,” she said. 

Added Harry: “And the corgis took to her straight away. I’ve had 33 years being barked at.”

Regarding the engagement ring, made with two diamonds from the late Princess Diana, Harry said it was to “make sure she’s with us on this crazy journey together.”

“She would be over the moon, jumping up and down. It’s days like today when I miss having her around,” he said. 

The two are set to wed in spring 2018.