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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Tom Davidson and Escher Walcott

Drinks at 6? You’re on: Harry and Meghan reveal details of first date in London

Harry and Meghan have opened up about the early days of their relationship in their bombshell new Netflix documentary series, released on Thursday.

In the first episode, the Duchess of Sussex says the couple have “never been allowed to tell our story... until now” as they talk about their first tentative steps toward romance.

Harry reveals he spotted his future wife back in 2016 while scrolling through his Instagram feed and they eventually started privately messaging and arranging for drinks.

The couple even share those first messages, with Harry writing: “So come on – what u doing tomorrow night? Hope you’re having fun over there!”

Meghan replied: “Heading back to Soho. I have a dinner tomorrow at 8 but can do drinks tomorrow night. Would that work? Maybe 6?”

Harry wrote back: “You’re ON!”

But despite appearing enthusiastic Harry was actually late for that first date.

Meghan said: “You were late. And I couldn’t understand why he would be late.”

She said he kept texting to apologise and to explain he was stuck in traffic.

Harry said: “I was panicking. I was freaking out. I was, like, sweating.”

Meghan said she feared Harry may be a guy with an ego who would make a woman sit waiting, but when he arrived she could see he was genuinely embarrassed about being late.

“He was just so fun, just so refreshingly fun, and that was the thing, we were like child-like together,” Meghan said.

They also revealed how they went out with Eugenie and her partner Jack Brooksbank for a final night out before their relationship was revealed on the Ellen DeGeneres show.

The couple shared a number of photographs from the evening, with Harry dressed in a gas mask, while Meghan pulled her hat low over her face.

(Netflix)

The couple said they “wanted to pull the pin on the fun grenade.”

Meghan said: “His cousin Eugenie, her boyfriend Jack and my friend Marcus were there too. It was so great, just silly fun.”

(Netflix)

The first episode of Harry & Meghan cuts to London in July 2016 and Harry can be heard saying that is when they met.

Meghan said another season of Suits was confirmed and she had plans to travel with friends having been “single for a couple of months”.

The episode features an interview with Meghan’s friend Lindsay Jill Roth, who says: “In the summer of 2016 she had a few different trips planned and she was just going to be free.”

This part of the episode features photos of Meghan with friends including Jessica Mulroney.

Meghan said: “I was really intent on being single and just have fun girl-time.”

Another friend called Lucy Fraser tells the documentary: “She had planned her single-girl summer and she had a lot of plans of going around Europe.”

It cuts to Meghan who says: “I had a career. I had my life. I had my path... and then came H.

“I mean, he literally, talk about a plot twist.”

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