Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s First ‘Incognito’ Date in London Belongs in a Rom-Com

Prince Harry just shared a story about dating Meghan Markle that feels like it belongs in a royal rom-com.

During a new appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the Duke of Sussex revealed that very early on in his relationship with his future wife, they had to pretend not to know each other as they perused the aisles of a grocery store. 

“The first time that Meghan and I met up for her to come and stay with me, we met up in a supermarket in London pretending that we didn’t know each other,” Prince Harry told Shepard, per People. “So we texted each other from the other side of the aisle, people looking at me and giving me all these weird looks, coming up to say ‘hi,’ whatever. And I was like, texting. It’s like, ‘Is this the right one?’ She’s like, ‘No, you want parchment paper.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, where’s the parchment paper?’”

Grocery shopping was a bit of a novel experience for Prince Harry, who shared that while he ran a few everyday errands with his mom, Princess Diana, as a child, it was “only a handful of times” because they’d be “pounced on” by paparazzi.

In fact, the duke described growing up in the royal family as “a mix between The Truman Show and living in a zoo.” Being “watched by millions” definitely took a toll on the young prince’s mental health. 

“It’s the job, right? Grin and bear it. Get on with it. I was in my early 20s, and I was thinking, I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here,” he said. “I don’t want to be doing this. Look what it did to my mum. How am I ever going to settle down and have a wife and family, when I know it’s going to happen again?”

He added, “Once I started doing therapy, it was like the bubble was burst. I plucked my head out of the sand and gave it a good shake-off, and I was like, You’re in this position of privilege; stop complaining and stop thinking you want something different. Make this different—because you can’t get out.”

Now, at 36, Prince Harry has definitely created a new path for him and his family in California. Back in January 2020, the pair stepped down from their senior royal duties to raise their two-year-old son, Archie, across the pond. This summer, they’ll welcome a baby girl. 

“Here, I can actually lift my head and I feel different. My shoulders have dropped, so has hers,” Prince Harry said. “You walk around feeling a little bit more free. I get to take Archie on the back of my bicycle. I never had the chance to do that.”