Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcomed a 7lb 3oz baby boy named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor into the world on Monday, May 6. The adorable infant, only nine days old, was unveiled to the world in photographs taken in Windsor and shared with the public last Wednesday. The couple beamed as they said they are “overjoyed” with their new son as happiness and love shone from their smitten faces. But what other big milestones have defined the couple’s whirlwind romance?

The couple’s first meeting

Renowned playboy Harry and Suits actress Meghan met for the first time on a blind date.

Prince Harry revealed the couple were first introduced by a mutual friend in July 2016 in a BBC interview following the announcement of their engagement.

It is believed either Harry’s childhood friends Violet von Westenholzis or fashion designer Mischa Nonoo introduced the pair, but the lovebirds have not confirmed this.

Meghan Markle said she did not know much about the Prince before they met.

She said: “Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family.

“I didn’t know much about him, so the only thing that I had asked [our mutual friend] when she said that she wanted to set us up, was, ‘Well is he nice?’

“Because if he wasn’t kind, it just didn’t seem like it would make sense.”

The two hit it off immediately and then continued to meet as often as they could.

Meghan added: “We met for a drink and then I think very quickly into that we said, ‘Well what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again.’”

The couple were enamoured with one another right from the beginning of their relationship – and because of this, their relationship progressed quickly.

During the couple’s engagement photo call in the Kensington Palace gardens, Harry admitted he knew Meghan was the one “the very first time we met”.

The romance blossoms

The romance between the young couple continued to blossom at pace.

The couple went on their second date and then Prince Harry invited Meghan to join him on a trip to Africa just three or four weeks later.

He invited her to Botswana where the couple “camped out under the stars” and were permitted their first opportunity to really be alone and get to know one another.

Clearly each individual liked what they found as the couple continued to date quietly for four months – until the news of their burgeoning romance hit the headlines.

The world finds out about the new couple

The news Prince Harry was dating an American actress was leaked on October 31, 2016.

A source close to Harry told the Express the red-haired romeo was “besotted” with the actress and “had a notable spring in his step and couldn’t stop smiling”.

The source added: “He’s happier than he’s been for many years.

“He’s in a very relaxed period of his life and Meghan has come along at the right time.

“They are taking each week as it comes and just enjoying each other’s company but it’s fair to say that they love seeing each other and there’s a definite chemistry between them.

“Harry has been desperate to keep the relationship quiet because he doesn’t want to scare Meghan off.

“He knows things will change when their romance is public knowledge but he also knows he can’t keep it a secret for long.

“It’s too early to say if the relationship will lead to anything long-term but who knows? At the moment they are just taking it a step at a time and seeing how things develop.”

On the same day that the news broke, Markle posted a sweet photo on her Instagram of two bananas spooning, possibly hinting at the new love in her life.

Meghan meets THE FAMILY

Although the couple tended to avoid the topic of one another, it was revealed Harry had introduced Meghan to members of his family.

In an interview with the Vancouver Sun, Meghan avoided directly mentioning the Prince but spoke of her happiness.

She said: “So, my cup runneth over and I’m the luckiest girl in the world!”

Prince Harry gets chivalrous and defends his girlfriend

Despite their best efforts, the couple’s relationship was no longer a secret and in November 2016, Kensington Palace confirmed the actress was Prince Harry’s girlfriend through a statement where Harry expressed concern for Meghan’s safety.

The statement said: “ Since he was young, Prince Harry has been very aware of the warmth that has been extended to him by members of the public. He feels lucky to have so many people supporting him and knows what a fortunate and privileged life he leads.

“He is also aware that there is significant curiosity about his private life.

“He has never been comfortable with this, but he has tried to develop a thick skin about the level of media interest that comes with it.

“He has rarely taken formal action on the very regular publication of fictional stories that are written about him and he has worked hard to develop a professional relationship with the media, focused on his work and the issues he cares about.

“But the past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment.

“Some of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.

“Some of it has been hidden from the public – the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.

“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.

“He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game – it is her life and his.

“He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done.

“He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly.”

According to the Prince, he had been involved with “nightly legal battles” to stop the media publishing defamatory stories about Meghan and their relationship.

During their first BBC interview after their wedding, Harry revealed both he and Markle were taken aback by the media scrutiny.

He said: “I think both of us were totally surprised by the reaction.”

While many assumed that Meghan would be prepared for the onslaught of attention because she had been in the public eye as an actress, she admitted little could have prepared her for what was to come.

She told the BBC: “There was a misconception that because I have worked in the entertainment industry that this would be something I would be familiar with.

“But I’ve never been part of tabloid culture. I’ve never been in pop culture to that degree and and lived a relatively quiet life.

“I think we were just hit so hard at the beginning with a lot of mistruths that I made the choice to not read anything, positive or negative.

“It just didn’t make sense and instead we focused all of our energies, just on nurturing our relationship.”

Prince William supports his brother

In late November, Prince William released a statement to address rumours that he was unhappy with his brother and his new girlfriend.

It said: “The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him.”

Meghan and Harry’s love continues to grow

Over the next few weeks and months, the couple were the stuff of romance novels.

In early December, Meghan was photographed wearing a necklace with the letters “M’ and “H”.

Later in December, they were snapped picking out a Christmas tree together and were also seen holding hands on their way to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime in London’s West End.

The couple takes a romantic trip

After spending Christmas with their own families, the couple then spent New Year’s together in London before embarking on a getaway to Norway.

The couple stayed with Harry’s close friend, Inge Solheim, at his luxury property in Tromsø, Norway.

The couple’s love grows despite the long distance

Meghan Markle was an actress in US drama Suits during the early stages of the couple’s courtship.

This meant she and Prince Harry were often away from each other, with Prince Harry completing royal duties in the Commonwealth and Meghan filing Suits in Toronto, Canada.

Royal fans were treated to a few typical romantic shots of the couple, holding hands during dates and so forth, but for the most part things were quiet from the couple.

In March 2017, the couple travelled together to Montego Bay, Jamaica to attend the wedding of Harry’s childhood friend Tom “Skippy” Inskip.

Markle was Harry’s plus one to the wedding as the prince serves as one of the ceremony’s 14 ushers.

The couple was next spotted in April, when Harry flew over from England to spend Easter weekend with Markle in Toronto.

The romance starts to really ramp up

By April the couple had been together for nine months and things between them were getting serious.

Around this time, Megan announced that she would shut down her lifestyle website, The Tig.

In a statement shared on both the Tig website and her Instagram, Markle said: “What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity.

“You’ve made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy.

“Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being the change you wish to see in the world.”

The couple’s first official public appearance

Meghan Markle and Harry stepped out together officially as a couple for the first time on May 6, 2017 at the annual Audi Polo Challenge in Ascot, England.

Prince Harry was a polo player in the games and Meghan watched and cheered from the sidelines.

Dating in the public eye

Meghan and Harry went on a series of dates over the next few months, including the actress reportedly coming to Pippa Middleton’s wedding reception as Harry’s guest on May 20, 2017.

The couple went abroad for three weeks in August 2017 to celebrate Meghan’s 36 birthday.

Meghan speaks openly about her relationship

The former actress spoke in public about her love for Prince Harry for the first time in September 2017.

She told Vanity Fair that they were both very happy and in love.

She said: “We’re a couple, “We’re in love. I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope that people will understand is that this is our time.

“This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”

Prince Harry becomes part of Meghan’s family too

Later in September Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland were spotted at the Invictus Games opening ceremony.

The couple were caught sharing besotted gazes and holding hands throughout the course of the games, as well as a few adorable kisses at the closing ceremony.

According to Harry, he had met Meghan’s mum several times by this point and said that she was “amazing”.

The couple get engaged

Royal fans were thrilled when they heard on November 27, 2017, that the couple were engaged.

The couple marked the news with a celebratory photoshoot and formal interview with the BBC where they revealed how they met and fell in love.

The Royal Wedding

Tens of million of people across the globe tuned in on May 19 last year to watch the couple get married at Windsor Castle.

Royal fans were enthralled by every element of the wedding from the high-profile guestlist, the royal family, the bride’s dress, the ceremony and the couple’s vows.

In their official portraits, released May 21, two days after the wedding, the couple looked more in love than ever.

Harry and Meghan start a family

On October 15, 2018, Kensington Palace released a statement announcing that the lovebirds were expecting their first child in Spring 2019.

The couple announced the pregnancy upon their arrival in Australia for their first joint royal tour.

Throughout the course of her pregnancy, Meghan and Harry were pictured together at various engagements.

The world watched as Meghan’s belly grew and grew, and the couple got closer to becoming parents.

Baby Archie arrives

In the early hours of May 6, 2019, the Duchess of Sussex went into labour.

She gave birth to Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, weighing in at 7lbs 3oz, at 5.26am.

Just two days later the couple introduced their baby boy to the world and revealed they are “overjoyed” with being new parents.

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