Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally put an end to months of speculation and confirmed that they’re engaged – cue the chorus of hearts breaking around the world, as the ginger Windsor is officially off the market.
While our princess dreams may have been crushed, we could take solace in these life – and relationship lessons – care of our new favourite power couple.
Your ‘Happy Ever After’ comes when you least expect it
It may have been love at first sight, but on paper they’re an odd couple – a 33-year-old playboy British Prince and world’s most eligible bachelor and a 36-year-old American actress who’s been married before. It’s been what the couple recognise themselves as an unpredictable and “crazy journey” – the blind date that led to falling in love under the stars in Botswana, a seal of approval from the Queen and her corgis, and now a royal engagement.
“The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredible quickly was confirmation to me that all the stars have aligned and everything was just perfect,” said Prince Harry during the announcement. Yep, from first meeting to engaged to be wed in just over one year.
There’s beauty in simplicity
While details of Prince Harry’s net worth are a little hazy, it’s worth noting when he turned 30 in 2014, he received £10 million from a trust fund set up by his late mother, Princess Diana of Wales – aka the means for an over-the-top marriage proposal, yet he chose something more “thoughtful” as Meghan describes it. It was just on a “cosy Sunday night” at the pair’s cottage while Prince Harry was “trying” to roast a chicken.
“It was just a standard, typical night for us,” Harry told the BBC. “It was an amazing surprise,” Meghan added, “it was so sweet and natural, and very romantic. He got on one knee.”
No flash mob, doves, drones, or public declarations necessary – perfect for the actress who when she launched her affordable clothing range in 2016 told the Toronto Star: “I was not a girl who grew up buying $100 candles. I was the girl who ran out of gas on her way to an audition.”
Your relationships don’t just affect you
We rarely think about others when we start up a relationship. It’s the hormones. Unfortunately, relationships affect everyone in our lives whether we want them to or not – something Prince Harry and Meghan have had to be hyper-aware of. Sure, while the news of their engagement came via a tweet from Clarence House – the Prince of Wales, it said, is “delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle”, with a Royal wedding pencilled in for the spring seemed simple – the hoops Harry had to jump through, just to be able to pop the question were not.
Get to know the person, not the reputation
Don’t sabotage your chances of happiness by digitally stalking a potential new partner. If Meghan had done it she would have found everything from a Nazi costume, to paparazzi brawls, naked pictures in Vegas and accusations of animal cruelty. But the Suits actress knew little about her blind date.
“Because I’m from the States you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family. And so, while I now understand very clearly there is a global interest there, I didn’t know much about him and so the only thing that I had asked her when she said she wanted to set us up was, I have one question: ‘Well, is he nice?'”
Despite being one of the most Googled names, Prince Harry knew nothing of the Hollywood star. “I’d never even heard of her. I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her sitting there. I was like wow I really have done well, I’ve got to up my game.” Reason to cut the stealth stalking, and get to know the person, not the profile.
Relationship success is about being a team
One look at the hand-holding throughout all 20 minutes of the BBC interview and it’s obvious they’re in this together – committed, not just to the other individual, but to the couple as its own entity. Sure, you both may argue every now and then, but you probably know how to kiss and make up, too. “At the end of the day, she chooses me and I choose her and whatever we have to tackle it will be us together as a team.” All together now, naaaaaawwwww.
