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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jennifer Newton

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's secret supermarket date - and how they stayed incognito

When they first started dating, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were keen to keep their romance under wraps.

It's thought they were together for around six months in 2016 before the story broke that Harry was dating Meghan - an actress from the hit TV show Suits.

This meant that one of the first times Meghan came to London from Toronto to stay with Harry, they did their best to try not to draw attention to themselves.

So they picked an unusual spot for one of their early dates - a supermarket. And they pretended not to know each other to try and stay "incognito".

Meghan and Harry met in 2016 and dated for several months before their romance went public (Getty Images)

Speaking about the date last year on Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast, Harry said: "There’s people looking at me, giving me all these weird looks, and coming up to me and saying ‘hi’.

“I texted her saying 'is this the right one,' and she said 'no you want parchment paper,' and I'm like where's the parchment paper?!"

“I had a baseball cap on, looking down at the floor, trying to stay incognito. It's amazing how much chewing gum you see, it's a mess!"

The couple on their wedding day in 2018 (Getty Images)

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Since that early date, Meghan and Harry have married, spent time as working royals, had two children and now have a new life together in California.

On the same podcast, Harry revealed how he can take Archie on the back of his bicycle, something he says he never had the chance to do in the UK.

He explained: "Living here now I can actually lift my head and actually I feel different, my shoulders have dropped, so have hers, you can walk around feeling a little bit more free."

Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals in early 2020 (Getty Images)

Since moving to California, Harry has only returned to the UK twice - for the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip and to unveil a statue of his late mother Princess Diana.

Meghan and son Archie have yet to return and daughter Lilibet has never been to Britain after being born in America.

This meant that last week, Harry and Meghan missed a memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey.

The couple at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards Show earlier this year (Earl Gibson III/REX/Shutterstock)

The couple also opted against releasing a statement or a tribute to Harry's grandfather to mark the day.

It came amid a row over their security in the UK, as Harry has said it isn't safe for him to bring his family here.

He is currently taking legal action against the Home Office to reverse the decision against giving him and his family police protection while they are in the UK - and says he is willing to pay for this.

A legal representative for the Duke said: “ Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.

“While his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.

“The Duke and Duchess personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”

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