Prince Harry, Meghan Markle
Prince Harry had the chance to meet Meghan Markle while she was in London for an all-girls holiday in 2016. Pictured: Prince Harry, Markle attend the Endeavour Fund awards at Drapers' Hall on February 7, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images/Tolga Akmen-WPA Pool

Meghan Markle was in London when she was introduced to Prince Harry by their common friend. Now, the reason why she was in the United Kingdom in the first place has finally been revealed.

Katie Nicholl, the author of “Harry: Life, Loss, and Love,” talked about the beginnings of the royal couple’s relationship in her book. She said that Markle was newly single and was in London for a girls-only holiday after her split from Canadian chef Cory Vitiello. Markle was joined by her friends, Lindsay Roth, and Misha Nonoo on that trip.

“Misha, who lives in the United States, also knows Harry through her marriage to the prince’s close friend Alexander Gilkes, and it has been reported that she played a hand in setting up the couple,” Nicholl said.

During their first meeting, Prince Harry reportedly bowled over Markle, and he immediately invited her out on a date at the Soho House. While there, the two talked for hours over a bottle of chilled rose. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex soon realized that they had plenty of things in common, including philanthropy and their love for Africa.

Weeks after their first date, Prince Harry decided to invite Markle to join him on a trip to Botswana, and she obliged.

Meanwhile, royal expert Ingrid Seward also shared details about the first time that Prince Harry saw Meghan Markle in a photo. In the Amazon Prime documentary “Meghan Markle: From Hollywood to Windsor,” she revealed that Prince Harry said that Markle was hot when he saw her on Violet Von Westenholz’s Instagram account.

The couple’s common friend asked Prince Harry if he wanted to meet Markle in person, and he said yes. During their engagement interview with BBC, Prince Harry shared what he thought when he first saw his wife in person.

“I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her, and there she was sitting there. I was like, ‘Okay, well I’m really going to have to up my game here and sit down and make sure I’ve got a good chat,’” he said.