The Real Story of How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Met

After they met, speculation swirled about who the mystery matchmaker for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was.

Harry and Meghan’s love story is “greater than any fairy tale you’ve ever read.” But one important question that many people don’t know the answer to: How did these two lovebirds meet in the first place?

We already know that a “mutual friend” introduced the pair, as Harry revealed in their first post-engagement interview with the BBC. Since neither of them knew much about the other before their first blind date, “it was just a really authentic and organic way to get to know each other,” Meghan said.

But now, we can finally put a name to the mystery matchmaker: Violet von Westenholz. The daughter of a baron, von Westenholz is a childhood friend of Harry’s who also works in public relations with Ralph Lauren, which is how she met Meghan.

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

Despite Meghan being a part of the London social scene, she didn’t know that much about her future husband when they first met. “Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family,” she explained during the BBC interview. “I didn’t know much about him, so the only thing that I had asked [our mutual friend] when she said that she wanted to set us up, was, ‘Well is he nice?’ Cause if he wasn’t kind, it just didn’t seem like it would make sense.”

For months, people speculated that celebrity stylist Jessica Mulroney, fashion designer Misha Nonoo, or friend Markus Anderson might have introduced the couple. While Violet has not confirmed the rumor yet, it can’t hurt to give her a preemptive round of applause for orchestrating this fairy tale ending.

“We are all just really happy that he finally met a woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with,” a friend told E!.

If you want to read more on Harry and Meghan’s relationship, you’ll want to check out Prince Harry’s upcoming bookSpare.

RELATED: Here’s How Meghan Markle Changed Prince Harry

Sources:

  • BBC: “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Engagement interview in full”
  • Women’s Health: “Here’s The Full Story (Finally!) Of How Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Really Met”
  • E!News: “Countdown to the Royal Wedding: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Secret Matchmaker Finally Revealed”

Brooke Nelson Alexander
Brooke is a tech and consumer products writer covering the latest in digital trends, product reviews, security and privacy, and other news and features for Reader's Digest. She's a two-time Emmy-nominated reporter with nearly 10 years of publishing experience, and her work has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.