What Meghan Markle Said About Finding Love Before Marrying Prince Harry Revisited

Before falling in love with Prince Harry, marrying him in an extravagant royal wedding and becoming pregnant with their first child, Meghan Markle had some interesting thoughts about what it takes to find a lasting love.

In 2016, Markle spoke all about it with Hallmark Channel in anticipation of the premiere of her second (and final) movie on the network, “Dater’s Handbook.” The flick, which also starred Kristoffer Polaha (Robert), followed Markle’s character, Cassandra, as she searched for a man who checked off all her boxes, only to discover that true love isn’t about checklists.

Apparently, the retired actress knew that all along in her real life.

“Following her heart is really what it’s all about, so even though Robert has been this type that she’s always drawn to, I think it’s a really good lesson for all of us to say they might sort of fit into these little categories, but they’re each their own person,” the Duchess of Sussex said. “And so Robert ends up being the guy that she realizes she really should be with and it’s really sweet and I think it’s a really nice thing for all of us to kind of pay attention to when we’re looking for love.”

Her character in the Hallmark movie had to learn that dating books aren’t always the best way to go, but Markle learned that lesson when she was much younger.

“You have to follow your heart to find your true love, and I remember when I was in high school and college, we were still reading ‘The Rules,’ do you remember that book? This is very much like that,” she said. “All those different things it would say, like, ‘Be a creature unlike any other,’ and it’s really about playing these games. But at the end of the day, when it comes down to finding the person that you’re right for, that’s not the person you’re going to play games with.”

She shared one last tip for people searching for love: “I think following her heart has really ended up proving to work out well for Cass, and I think for a lot of women watching this, that I would give them that same advice.”