The Woman Who Reportedly Set Prince Harry Up With Meghan Markle Has Been Revealed
At this point, it feels like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have always been together. Even though the new(ish) couple announced their engagement after just one year of dating, it's hard to imagine a time when they didn't know each other. People have been wondering who set Prince Harry and Meghan Markle up, and we finally have an answer. Enter Violet von Westenholz.
During Markle and Harry's first interview with BBC as an engaged couple, Markle explained they were set up by a mutual friend. At the time, they made the decision to withhold her identity. Markle said, "We were introduced by a secret friend, who we will protect her privacy." Now, E! News reports it was actually Westenholz who played matchmaker.
Westenholz has been in Harry's life for years. Her father is a baron and very close to Prince Charles, and E! reports her little sister, Victoria, was once in the running to date Harry way back in the day. A source explained,
Harry was having a really hard time finding anyone. It's hard enough finding someone new to date. He can hardly go on Tinder or a dating app like normal people, but to meet someone that you actually connect with, that was proving to be almost impossible. It was something he had confided in his closest friends about; he was ready to meet someone but it was so hard to actually find the right person.
Westenholz had just the girl in mind. According to the report, Violet was working in PR with Ralph Lauren, which is ultimately how she bumped into Markle. We all know Markle has impeccable style, and it's not too hard to imagine her rubbing shoulders and hanging out with the socially elite in the fashion industry. The insider said,
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.
They added,
Harry just knew immediately, from the moment he spent time with Meghan, that he wanted to be with her. It's a simple case of meeting the right girl at the right time.
Markle and Harry adorably told BBC what it was like when they were set up. Both seemed to be nervous, and sincerely interested in finding the right person, not just another famous person. Markle said,
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?'
Still, surely Markle had the upper hand and had a least heard of Prince Harry. For his part, Harry said he had no idea who Markle was.
I'd never, never even heard about her until this friend said 'Meghan Markle.' I was like, 'Right okay, give me, 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 'Okay, well I'm going to have to really up my game here.'
Flash forward 365 days and some change, and the couple is officially taking marriage by storm. The public has been fascinated with Markle's story as she seamlessly transitions from American actress to British royalty. If she's feeling any pressure, we certainly don't know it. Right now, it seems like her life consists of fun public appearances and gorgeous winter coats.
A friend told E!, "We are all just really happy that he [Harry] finally met a woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with."
Us too, friend. Us too.
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