Prince Harry has revealed the promise he made to Meghan Markle during their spontaneous third date to Africa that he has kept ever since. While most couple's third date might involve a nice meal or trip to the cinema, Harry and Meghan jetted off on a five-day holiday to Botswana.
Harry invited Meghan on the trip after they realised that their packed schedules only alined for one week in the summer of 2016, according to the Mirror. The country has always held a special place in the Duke of Sussex's heart - its where he spent time following the death of his mother Princess Diana and took part in several conservation projects in the years since.
The couple spent the whirlwind trip going on safari, relaxing round a campfire and drinking cocktails made from river water. Far from civilisation, the wilderness adventure gave them time to really get to know each other, with the pair spending hours talking and sharing stories.
In his bombshell memoir Spare, Harry reveals that an elephant came right up to their canvas home one night, causing Meghan to "bolt upright". Moments later, he claims their tent "shook" from the roars of nearby lions
A worried Meghan asked if they were going to be okay, to which Harry replied: "Trust me, I'll keep you safe."
Harry repeats this phrase several times throughout the pages of his autobiography, which has sold more then 750,000 copies in the UK alone, and has mentioned it multiple times in TV interviews since quitting the royal family.
Speaking on their Netflix show Harry & Meghan, he said: "My job is to keep my family safe. But the nature of being born into this position... and the level of hate that is being stirred up in the last three years especially against my wife and my son, I'm generally concerned for the safety of my family."
He also previously admitted that one of the reasons he signed the multi-million dollar deal with Netflix was so he could afford the best security for Meghan, Archie and Lilibet after their British tax-payer security budget was revoked.
In the unofficial biography Finding Freedom, more details of Harry and Meghan's romantic African holiday were revealed. According to authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, Harry was "delightfully surprised" by how content Meghan was with "roughing-it" for the week.
The Duchess reportedly arrived with very little clothing packed and "cleaned her face with baby wipes and happily wandered into the woodlands if she needed a bathroom break".
A friend of the couple, who have been married for almost four years, said: "The fact that they're both as happy just throwing on a backpack and going out to explore...I honestly think these experiences will never stop for them."
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