Finding Freedom book news – live: Meghan underwent mock kidnapping training before wedding and felt ‘devastated’ over father Thomas Markle

A pint with Piers

Before she met Prince Harry, Meghan met another famous Brit during her travels to London. Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan – who this year admitted that his criticisms of the Duchess of Sussex went “too far” at times – joined the Suits actor for a drink at his local pub in Kensington, having received a private message from Meghan asking if they could meet for the first time.

While the impression the Finding Freedom authors give of Meghan is that of a genuine, down-to-earth person, it is also apparent that she knew how to network, a skill she used to her advantage.

A date with destiny

Deep into the second chapter of the book, we have finally arrived at the pivotal moment Meghan and Harry meet for the first time. A blind date as unexpected for Harry as it was for Meghan. A prince meeting a Hollywood actor. A Hollywood actor meeting a prince. It had all the makings of a cheesy rom-com. But this was real life nonetheless.

When Meghan told her London-based agent Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne the identity of the man she was going on a blind date with, the agent had an inkling of the impact a relationship with the royal would have on the actor’s life.  “You will be the most wanted woman,” she reportedly said, in an attempt to explain what tabloid culture is like in the UK. This statement was strong enough to send anyone running to the hills. And apt, considering the attention Kate Middleton received over the years as Prince Williams’ girlfriend-turned-future Queen.

Meghan joked with a friend that she would “settle for ‘a nice English gentleman to flirt with’,” the authors state. Boy did she get more than she had bargained for.

All or nothing

According to the Finding Freedom authors, “casual dating” was never on the cards for the duchess. Ever since she first started dating as a teenager, “she was always looking for commitment”, they say. 

One of her most serious relationships came in the form of producer Trevor Engelson, who Meghan met at the age of 23. The couple married seven years later. Despite being together for such a long period of time, according to a friend who was interviewed for the book, when Meghan was cast in Suits months after becoming engaged to Engelson, the “dynamic” in their relationship “was changing”.

“Meghan wondered aloud to her closest friends why Trevor didn’t always act as if he supported her acting career,” the authors write. “She felt that he liked her being dependent on him.”

Following their divorce in 2013, Meghan embarked upon a relationship with restaurateur Cory Vitiello, combining Meghan’s search for love with her passion for fine cuisine. But as we all know, Vitiello was not the one for her. In early 2016, the same year she met Prince Harry, she broke off their relationship.

Tales of a playful prince

Before we reach the point of Meghan and Harry’s blind date, the authors remind us of Prince Harry’s playful nature, an attribute that has helped him become one of the most well-liked members of the royal family ever since his childhood. Sticking out his tongue while being held by Princess Diana at three years old and sneaking out of the Palace while playing with his mother’s protection officer… Prince Harry always had a penchant for mischief.

As the younger of two royal brothers, Harry had the freedom to bend the rules more than his elder sibling Prince William, who is second-in-line to the throne behind their father, Prince Charles. Prince Harry is “not one for pomp and circumstance” and “to this day”, the Duke of Sussex “doesn’t like wearing a tie”, the authors state.

While some may have felt overshadowed as the younger sibling in the royal family, Princess Diana ensured her younger son never felt he was any less important than William. “Diana had tried to imbue in her younger son that he should never let anyone make him feel that he wasn’t special just because he would never be king,” the authors say. “If anything, she reasoned, he was lucky, because Harry had the opportunity to find his purpose.

The pitfalls of dating a prince

Before Meghan, one of Harry’s most serious relationships was with Chelsy Davy, who he met on his gap year. Her face was frequently splashed across the newspapers, as was Harry’s subsequent girlfriend, Cressida Bonas. The intense scrutiny of their lives proved too much to bear for both Davy and Bonas, the authors state. Which left Harry in 2016, open for another serious relationship.

The start of something new

And then, there were two. After conducting “thorough Google searches” of each other, Meghan and Harry met for a blind date reportedly set up by fashion designer Misha Nonoo and Soho House consultant Markus Anderson. Coming face to face for the first time at the exclusive member’s club, the pair settled in for an evening in a “private dining area cordoned off behind floor-to-ceiling velvet drapes”.

“Wow,” Prince Harry reportedly told a friend later on. “The most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life.”

With a “bashful start”, the pair gradually began to feel more comfortable with each other, with a source telling the authors that they were “in their own little world”. They connected on topics such as their mutual desire to “make change for good”, with Harry discussing his trips to Africa and Meghan showing the prince photos of her dog on her phone. 

Their first date did not end with a kiss, despite the evident connection between the two. But it did end with a “hint” of what was to come, with both parties keen to meet up again in the near future.

Redefining texting etiquette

Anyone well-attuned to the world of dating will understand the significance of text lingo. One x or two? To emoji or not emoji? Should you keep your cool by waiting an hour to respond or reply straight away?

Prince Harry seemingly followed no unofficially established rules when texting Meghan, pinging her a message that same evening when she had returned to her hotel room.

According to the authors, Harry’s texts were “often short and full of emojis, in particular the ghost emoji”. While someone else may have cringed at the unusual choice of preferred emoji, Meghan apparently found his texting style “funny and adorable”, a win for the prince 👻

A spattering of clues on social media

As we enter the third chapter of the book, the courtship between Meghan and Harry is well and truly underway.

A friend reportedly said that the couple were “almost obsessed with each other” from the get-go, with Harry appearing as though he was “in a trance” following his first meeting with Meghan.

For a second consecutive night, Meghan and Harry met for another date at Dean Street Townhouse, the “chemistry” seemingly sizzling as they coyly dined together, with just one waiter entrusted to serve them.

While their dates were kept – by and large – a secret, Meghan did leave clues about their meeting on social media, when she still had her own personal accounts. After the couple’s first date, Meghan began following an Instagram account with the handle @SpikeyMau5. The authors say this was Harry’s private account, which he named after one of his favourite DJs, DeadMau5, and “Spike Wells”, the name the prince used as an alias on Facebook.

On the same night as one of their dates, Meghan shared an image on Instagram of a Love Hearts sweet that read “Kiss Me”, captioning the picture “Lovehearts in #London”. In hindsight, one could say her burgeoning relationship with Harry couldn’t have been more obvious.

A whirlwind romance

Just six weeks after their first date, Meghan and Harry were jetting off to Botswana in for Africa, a trip organised by the prince. Few people knew about their romantic getaway, among them Jessica Mulroney, a fashion stylist and close friend of the duchess whose children would play a role in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in May 2018.

While a holiday to Africa may sound a bit extreme for two people who had only just started dating, for Meghan and Harry, it made perfect sense. Harry wished to spend time alone with Meghan with the knowledge that they weren’t being watched closely, a tricky feat in the heart of London. Plus, Africa meant a lot to Harry, as a continent he had forged a deep connection with after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Meghan reportedly asked a friend “Is this crazy to go away like this?” when she agreed to join Harry. But, as a friend told the authors, “Sometimes you just have to allow yourself to get swept up in these things – and that she did.”

Butterflies aplenty

Following their trip, which was technically their third date, it was apparent Meghan and Harry were absolutely sold on one another, the Finding Freedom authors write. Meghan seemed “completely spellbound” when she returned from Africa, a friend said, telling a close confidante that she had “never felt that safe” and “close to someone in such a short amount of time”. The gamble of a spontaneous minibreak to Africa had paid off for the transatlantic sweethearts.