The whirlwind romance which saw Prince Harry move across the pond to California has long fascinated the public, bringing together two of the world's most discussed institutions - the Royal Family and Hollywood.
Seen as somewhat of a wild child, the Duke of Sussex has since dedicated his life to humanitarian causes and his widely lauded Invictus Games.
His wife Meghan Markle appears to have found a kindred spirit in Harry, as before meeting him was heavily involved in food campaigns, clean water causes and women's issues such as the stigmatisation of menstruation in India.
Four years on from their wedding, the pair now have two children together, Archie and Lilibet, and live near Santa Barbara, California.
Following the Duke and Duchess' decision to step back from royal duties in 2020 after repeated alleged media smears and friction with family members, the couple agreed not to use the style of "Royal Highness". From strangers to the Sussexes, here is a full timeline of their relationship.
Harry and Meghan relationship timeline
2016
The pair were set up on a blind date at London's Soho House in early July by mutual friend and fashion designer Misha Nonoo.
"We met for a drink," said Markle, "and then I think very quickly into that we said, 'Well what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again.'"
From then on, things moved quickly, with Harry inviting Meghan on a trip to Africa just weeks later.
The Prince said: "I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana and we camped out with each other under the stars," he said, describing the whirlwind romance. "Then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other."
In October, the secret was out and reports surfaced claiming that Prince Harry had been secretly dating the Suits star. A month later, the Prince issued a statement asking that the media respect the privacy of his girlfriend noting he was "worried about Ms Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her".
The pair were then spotted in London's Battersea Park picking out a Christmas tree.
2017
To ring in the new year, Harry and Meghan visited Norway to see the Northern Lights, reportedly staying in Tromso. Later that month, Meghan met Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte.
In May, the Prince and the actress attended their first public event as a couple and were pictured kissing at the annual Audi Polo Challenge in Ascot, England. September saw Prince Harry orchestrate a secret introduction between his girlfriend and the Queen as the couple visited Scotland.
As rumours of a royal engagement swirled in November, Markle left Suits after six years on the hit show. Just days later Kensington Palace confirmed "His Royal Highness and Ms Markle became engaged in London earlier this month".
2018
May saw one of the world's most anticipated weddings, as millions tuned in to watch Meghan and Harry say "I do" at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel.
In October, news broke that the married couple were expecting their first child, with Kensington Palace confirming "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019".
The following day the couple jetted off for their first official tour, visiting Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand in a trip which coincided with the Invictus Games in Sydney.
2019
Meghan had her baby shower at New York City's Mark Hotel's penthouse suite in February - the most expensive hotel room in America - which was hosted and paid for by her friend Serena Williams.
May saw Meghan and Harry welcome their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, just a few days shy of their first anniversary.
2020
During the first month of 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they would be stepping down as senior Royal Family members and that they intended to be financially independent from any royal funding.
By July, after living in Tyler Perry's Beverly Hills mansion, the duo officially moved to California with the purchase of a house in Montecito, close to Santa Barbara - 100 miles north of Los Angeles.
In September, the Sussexes were finally independent after paying off all remaining costs from their Frogmore Cottage renovation in Windsor.
November saw Meghan spoke on her miscarriage, which she suffered in July. Her heart-breaking essay aimed to break the taboo of miscarriages and the mental impact it can have on mothers.
2021
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were expecting their second child on Valentine's Day in February. In a post, they said "We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother".
Four months later, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor arrived weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces. A ccording to the official announcement, "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet".
