The world finally knows how Meghan Markle and Prince Harry actually met

And even who introduced them...

From the editors of InStyle US Words by Alexandra Whittaker

The countdown is on for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding, but between news of wedding cake tastings and gifts galore, fans might have missed out on the sweet love story that began it all.

Rumours of how the star couple met have swirled since Harry revealed during their first joint interview that an unnamed ‘mutual friend’ introduced them, but now concrete details have emerged.

E! News confirmed Wednesday that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first met thanks to Harry's childhood friend Violet von Westenholz, not fashion designer Misha Nonoo or Markle's friend stylist Jessica Mulroney or Markus Anderson, who works for the Soho House, as some had presumed. Von Westenholz's dad is a baron and is pals with Prince Charles, and a source told E! all about how the royal romance began.

‘Harry was having a really hard time finding anyone,’ the source said. ‘It's hard enough finding someone new to date. He can hardly go on Tinder or a dating app like normal people, but to meet someone that you actually connect with, that was proving to be almost impossible. It was something he had confided in his closest friends about; he was ready to meet someone but it was so hard to actually find the right person.’

Once von Westenholz and Markle met through von Westenholz's public relations work at Ralph Lauren, things became substantially easier.

‘Meghan had been a part of the London social scene for a while and had slotted into the high society set really easily," the source said. "And so when Harry told Violet he was having trouble finding someone, Violet said she might just have the perfect girl for him."

That led to a first blind date in the summer of 2016, and the rest is royal history.