Engagement of Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle: November 27, 2017

[MaiaMia_53]

Yeah, I'm not getting that impression. I think she's taken on all that being a member of the BRF entails because she loves him. She got to know his family first and foremost as his family--not as the British Royal Family.

She said she's also gotten to know his mother's sisters some. I always had a feeling William and Harry see a lot more of all their relatives than we have any idea of.

Thanks for articulating that so well. I got the same impression from how Meghan spoke of respecting Queen Elizabeth as the monarch, but having first gotten to know Her Majesty through the lens of Harry's eyes as his loving grandmother. That must have helped put Meghan at ease when she first met QE apparently in September of this year at Balmoral, and then again in October for tea at BP. It's definitely nice to know that Meghan has met many of Diana's family and friends too. We can tell so much how both Princes William and Harry love their mother, and how much sharing memories of Diana means to them, with their partners for life.

It's so funny how the Queen's corgis who are notoriously standoffish and wary of guests knew right away that Meghan is a cool lady who loves animals. I can just see them all plopping down around her, calmly wagging their tails.

 

[Osipi]

For those that will find it helpful, here is a link to where the entire interview is transcribed.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Full Engagement Interview | PEOPLE.com

 

[ladongas]

What I found that was completely and utterly Harry and Meghan is that the proposal wasn't some big, extravagant thing with a destination. It was over roasting chicken at home doing what they've been doing together all along.

This is a couple that will make their ordinary days extraordinary just by being together. Warmed my heart too to hear Harry say "our cottage". Not his cottage or some destination reeking romantic but "our cottage". Bodes well for a happy home life.

Can't get much better than that.

I’m glad they had a cozy proposal. I’ve been rather appalled in recent years by the over the top proposal scenes which both celebrities and ordinary couples have staged. I can’t imagine having such an intimate moment occur in a crowd.

 

[jacqui24]

I also thought it was funny when Harry talked about how the corgis have been barking at him for the past 30 years, and just went up and sat at Meghan's feet quietly when they met her.

 

[Pranter]

Loved the interview...so sweet. They are almost giddy!

I definately took notice when Harry mentioned 'we four' working together for the Firm this is going to be a tight knit group. I like that the charitable work comments for future also included the younger royals.

Love that they have never gone more than 2 weeks without seeing each other. That they have been able to do this for 1 1/2 years speaks to the strong commitment on each part...you don't do that unless you are really invested in each other.

She doesn't seem a bit sad about leaving her career. She shouldn't she's moving on to something she has a strong love for (besides Harry).

Amazing she knew very little about Harry or his family (I'm sure she's up to speed now). She's well spoken and polished, she'll hold her own in any situation.

I love that they have been able to do so many things (camping in Botswana..who knew??) without anyone knowing!

Love the green color on her. Love the ring and that they talked about it.


Can't wait to hear what's next!!



LaRae

 

[IloveCP]

Congratulations to them. I hope they will be very happy together.

 

[Nico]

She seems very intelligent and determinated (in a good way, at least for now).
Windsors men often need a stronger/older spouse at their side to push them up a bit...

 

[Mbruno]

Queen Frederika was quite a character it seems; what was the context of this quote? Luckily for her, her children married royal partners.

I don't think Queen Frederika would have accepted non-royal brides/grooms for her children given her upbringing. Her point about Princess Grace though was that it is hard to tell whether an actor is sincere or is basically just "acting".

 

[FashionMaven]

Love how the Queen's corgis just instantly took to Meghan. Dogs are an excellent judge of character.

I know I sound mushy as hell but is it bad that I'm chomping at the bit for not only the wedding, but a movie based on them?

 

[M. Payton]

I wouldn´t make the mistake assuming the Queen was overjoyed with her grandson´s choice...

And did you personally sit down with HM and get to know her feelings on this engagement? Your assuming quite a bit here and it is not facts either.
If anyone does not like this engagement or couple then there is always the choice to go elsewhere and enjoy whatever.

IMHO I am thrilled for both Harry and Meghan.....it is called *Love*, something that very few have in this world and nice to see elsewhere.

 

[Osipi]

That made me chuckle too. Meghan definitely has the royal paws of approval. That, to me, says a whole lot. ?

 

[Pranter]

Love how the Queen's corgis just instantly took to Meghan. Dogs are an excellent judge of character.

I know I sound mushy as hell but is it bad that I'm chomping at the bit for not only the wedding, but a movie based on them?

I smiled the whole time I watched them in the interview!


LaRae

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Maybe i’m In the minority, but I truly dislike the Diana / Catherine engagement ring, i find it too much. I much prefer the one Harry gave Meghan, or the one the Queen received from Prince Philip.
I do dislike the gold band, I feel white gold or platinum would have worked better.
I love her coat.


My day has been a shitty one (my cat is has cancer and isn’t currently hospitalized) so a shine of something happy.
I’m happy for them, and also a bit jealous.

I will be in the minority with you...I never liked the famous Diana sapphire. I always thought it looked like costume jewelry. I tend to believe it only achieved "iconic" status because of the Royal fiancee who wore it.

So sorry about your poor kitty. There's nothing like the bond we have with our pets is there?

 

[FashionMaven]

I'm just bursting with joy and delight over this couple. Geez.

And my little black girl heart is feeling all proud that a prince of Wales will have an african american mother in law. With dreds! I know this seems trivial to even point out but it just fills my heart with joy to see this. It's not quite like when Obama was elected but it's very special in its own way. Wow.

And I got some really good news today too - the start of my month was pure hell but the end has been wonderful! Yes!!

 

[jacqui24]

Patrick J Adams sent a serious happy wishes tweet following his last hilarious tweet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/935225535076057088

 

[MaiaMia_53]

... Meghan likes overstating how long they have been together; she said a year and half - two; which Harry corrected into 'a year and a half'. They were very specific about their 'back-to-back dates' in London. So, it seems the time line is: first meeting in May in Toronto (on a date that was set-up by a mutual friend), two dates early July in London (when Meghan visited Wimbledon), a 5-day camping trip in Botswana in August - and after that seeing each other at least every other week.

Her 'keep in mind' came off a bit strong - probably reflective of her ease with the media but something she needs to be a little careful with (as we've seen with Letizia as well; although Meghan was not cutting off Harry)...

Indeed a lot of things were cleared up that the media has been fussing over, exaggerating and making up since last November. Apparently, Harry never saw Meghan on Suits, so she never was his ideal woman until he actually set eyes on her. Like he said they were "introduced and immediately felt an attraction." They both also said they first connected while speaking about the passion projects that mean so much to them, and about wanting to effect positive change in the world.

I would imagine that after the first two meetings probably in May 2016 prior to Harry going off on a trip, Harry then began the famous "bombarding Meghan with texts." That's probably exaggerated too, since they both felt attracted to each other. But I get the sense that Meghan was proceeding with caution at first. It was very interesting how she said that she had never read anything about the royals, so she didn't really know much about Harry, and she asked the friend who set them up: "Is he nice?" because that's very important to her.

H&M want to shield the privacy of the person who set them up on what seems similar to a blind date, but they mentioned a "she" so it must be MN, the designer friend Meghan met in Miami several years ago. Another clue is 'The Husband' shirt designed by MN that Meghan wore accompanying Harry at the Invictus Games. Markus Anderson is the other friend who was mainly responsible for facilitating their meet-ups at various Soho Houses.

The part I was a little confused by is the fact that apparently Harry took Meghan to Africa last year for a five-day getaway. So their trip this August was just longer, but not their first time there together. i think there were rumblings about Harry having taken Meghan to Africa, but the truth was kept mum. That's the most amazing thing: how very close to the vest all of their freinds and family members kept their knowledge about these two, which enabled them to stay undercover for so long before gossip began leaking out last October.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Looking at the video, Mehgan is an absolute media pro, comfortably talking in front of the camera, coming across much more mature as Harry. I think she wears the pants in the relationship, the hand holding was a bit much. I wish them well and I especially hope that Meghan will keep her energy and enthusiasm and that she will not end up like Letizia, who had a similar enthusiastic engagement day, talking about projects, but became a silent shadow of her husband in following years.

 

[Mbruno]

Thanks for articulating that so well. I got the same impression from how Meghan spoke of respecting Queen Elizabeth as the monarch, but having first gotten to know Her Majesty through the lens of Harry's eyes as his loving grandmother. That must have helped put Meghan at ease when she first met QE apparently in September of this year at Balmoral, and then again in October for tea at BP. It's definitely nice to know that Meghan has met many of Diana's family and friends too. We can tell so much how both Princes William and Harry love their mother, and how much sharing memories of Diana means to them, with their partners for life.

It's so funny how the Queen's corgis who are notoriously standoffish and wary of guests knew right away that Meghan is a cool lady who loves animals. I can just see them all plopping down around her, calmly wagging their tails.

The full interview is now available. I don't know if it was posted here yet:

Some quick thoughts:

1) It seems that they have been in a relationship for less than one year and a half actually. Besides, they admitted they went together to Botswana after only two proper dates. That adds to my perception that their engagement was a little bit rushed and pushed by the media.

2) Maybe it is just me, but I find it odd that someone actually intentionally "set them up" and that Meghan knew beforehand that it was a setup and even inquired from her friend if it was worth it.

3) Again, maybe it's just me, but I don't get the same feeling that everybody is getting that they seem romantically in love. It sounds to me more like a relationship that is convenient to both parts for different reasons.

On a positive note, she is definitely articulate and handled herself very well with an interviewer who didn't pose any tough questions though and was fairly deferential and sympathetic to the couple.

 

[principessa]

It was a great joy to watch the interview.

Meghan is a total heartwarming and smart person with an very likeable soft voice.

I know how Harry must feel now not to have his mother around him to share his personal most positive emotional day with (My father died 6 years before I had married).

Meghan will do a good job as member of the royal family. She has the right tools to convict people for her projects, for her warmth.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Patrick J Adams sent a serious happy wishes tweet following his last hilarious tweet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/935225535076057088

What a lovely heartfelt message. Thanks for sharing.

The previous joke one was fun too.

 

[jacqui24]

I think we can excuse Meghan's time math here. She has in the past admitted math is not her strong suit. I think she got 90th percentile or higher in verbal SAT, but very low in math. Plus, Harry did mention today that she probably spent past year and half not able to keep up what time zone she is in.

 

[Lumutqueen]

I'm so happy for them both, especially Harry because he seems so happy. But I genuinely didn't think it would happen, there is just some part of me that they're going to be married!

I can't wait to see the dress.

 

[royal rob]

I was right about diamonds and wonderful interview

 

[Pranter]

Harry and Meghan seem very open for a couple who have spent the last 16 or 17 months avoid almost all media. They should write a book for famous people..How to avoid the Pap while carrying on a relationship!

They are so excited on various levels. Just smiling watching the interview.


LaRae

 

[Somebody]

Some quick thoughts:

1) It seems that they have been in a relationship for less than one year and a half actually. Besides, they admitted they went together to Botswana after only two proper dates. That adds to my perception that their engagement was a little bit rushed and pushed by the media.

That action was indeed quite impulsive and seems rushed but that was more than 15 months ago... So, not sure why that makes their engagement rushed. Harry had his summer already planned and apparently didn't want to wait for 10 weeks (didn't he stay in Africa for 10 weeks last summer?) to see her again. And was able to convince her to come over.

2) Maybe it is just me, but I find it odd that someone actually intentionally "set them up" and that Meghan knew beforehand that it was a step up and even inquired from her friend if it was worth it.

It makes sense that she wanted to make sure that her friend was not organizing a date just because he was a prince. Other than that, yes, I share some of your discomfort but on the other hand, many people nowadays meet by internet, so a friend who thinks that the two of you might get on, is more personal than that.

3) Again, maybe it's just me, but I don't get the same feeling that everybody is getting that they seem romantically in love. It sounds to me more like a relationship that is convenient to both parts for different reasons.

Their behavior during the interview and photo call leads me to think otherwise. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

On a positive note, she is definitely articulate and handled herself very well with an interviewer who didn't pose any tough questions though and was fairly deferential and sympathetic to the couple.

I wouldn't expect 'though' questions at an engagement interview; this is their way to present themselves and especially Meghan to the British people - of course they are not asking a royal criticaster to do the interview, that would be very bad PR management of the Firm. And she was actually asked about the comments regarding her ethnicity that I can imagine she rather not talked about. What other 'though' questions did you have in mind? It was interesting how Meghan volunteered information about Harry not having met her father.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Just watched the interview. Harry and Meghan are not "my couple" on this Board, but goodness they are pretty together and so visibly in love it makes my spirit soar.

And how about the FAIL pointing out that she was wearing extensions?? Sofia Hellqvist had/has the most obvious hair extensions I have ever seen on a Royal fiancee but the FAIL only mentioned her Cinderella rise from....errr...uhmm.. glamour model.....to Royal bride when she had her engagement interview. The vast majority of young women in the spotlight wear hair extensions now. So what??!

How I hate the Daily FAIL!!

 

[Somebody]

I think we can excuse Meghan's time math here. She has in the past admitted math is not her strong suit. I think she got 90th percentile or higher in verbal SAT, but very low in math. Plus, Harry did mention today that she probably spent past year and half not able to keep up what time zone she is in.

She's confused everyone with her lack of keeping track of the time since the VF interview

 

[Skippy]

Harry and Meghan seem very open for a couple who have spent the last 16 or 17 months avoid almost all media. They should write a book for famous people..How to avoid the Pap while carrying on a relationship!

They are so excited on various levels. Just smiling watching the interview.


LaRae

Yes, The Royal Romance Manual - How to Conduct a Relationship Away From the Prying Press.

Happy for Harry (and Meghan). I still have to get used to it now being official. I was only just used to him having her as his girlfriend.

 

[Curryong]

I've seen several Royal engagement interviews in the BRF and in none of them did the interviewer pose probing questions.

There were times when the couple looked at each other in both photo call and interview when it was just pure love and happiness.

 

[Rudolph]

I think the timing thing is a bit contentious for some people. There was a lot of buzz about Meghan dropping Cory as soon as Mr Prince came into the picture.

I think being vague about when exactly they met diffuses some of it