When Harry met Meghan: How Prince Charles's family friend set up blind date
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry first met on a blind date set-up by fashion PR Violet von Westenholz, the daughter of a baron who is friends with Prince Charles, it has been revealed.
'Definitely a set up' Harry and Meghan recount first meeting
Fashion designer Misha Nonoo, Meghan’s pal Markus Anderson and Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh have all been suggested as the mystery Cupid who first introduced the loved-up pair.
But it is now claimed the matchmaker’s true identity is fashion PR Violet von Westenholz, a friend of both Meghan and Harry.
The 33-year-old is the daughter of ex-Olympic skier Baron Piers von Westenholz, a friend of the Prince of Wales.
Ms von Westenholz has been a friend of Harry’s since childhood, regularly joining the family on skiing trips.
She first got to know Suits actress Meghan Markle through her work at Ralph Lauren.
And she immediately thought the pair could be good match when Prince Harry said to her and other friends he was struggling to find a person he could connect with.
A source told E! News: "Meghan had been a part of the London social scene for a while and had slotted into the high society set really easily.
“And so when Harry told Violet he was having trouble finding someone, Violet said she might just have the perfect girl for him.”
After announcing their engagement, the pair were tight-lipped about who had played Cupid.
But Meghan revealed their first date in the summer of 2016 had been planned by a mutual friend.
She said: “It was definitely a set-up. It was a blind date.
“I didn’t know much about him and so the only thing I had asked her when she said she wanted to set us up was, I had one question, I said ‘Was he nice?’”
Harry joined in: “I’d never, never even heard about her until this friend said ‘Meghan Markle’.
“I was like, ‘Right ok, give me a bit of background, like what’s going on here?’
"When I walked into that room and saw her and there she was sitting there, I was like ‘Ok, well I’m going to have to really up my game here.’”
Ms von Westenholz, meanwhile, has refused to reveal whether or not she was behind the blind date.
She told the Telegraph: “I might leave that for other people to say.
“It’s a great story and I am sure they are going to be very happy together.
“I am just happy they are really happy. They are great together.”
Meghan will marry Harry on May 19 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
The couple have stepped out for a number of public appearances in recent weeks.
Most recently, the pair appeared in Cardiff where they received a rapturous reception from hordes of The Firm's fans.