Harry and Meghan: A Royal Engagement

Please welcome Prince Harry.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I am tremendously honoured to be

UN Women's Advocate for Political Participation and Leadership.

And don't forget that you are proving to the world

that anything is possible.

If anyone is up to marrying the public and private

and still present an authentic self, I think it's Meghan Markle.

I think they have a lot in common, actually,

and I think it's that passion and desire to help.

I think Harry's got such a personality and such drive

and such kindness.

I've perceived Meghan to be an amazing talent. She's a catch.

Duchess Meghan?

I think that's amazing!

What a... I mean, it's a fairy tale. It really is.

It just brings that kind of good feeling back, doesn't it,

that anything is still possible and magic can happen?

This is a modern love story between two young people,

but, at the same time, there is something

so entrancing about Hollywood to princess.

She could almost be our window into that world now

and I think that's how a lot of people probably see her.

Both in their 30s and clearly very much in love,

but what does this young couple from very different worlds have in common

as they embark on the next extraordinary chapter

of their lives together?

Finally, the world's worst kept secret is out.

The eligible bachelor Prince Harry

is engaged to marry American actor Meghan Markle.

Having met in 2016, their relationship is relatively new.

They've both got a bit of life experience.

They've had quite a lot of opportunity to discover

who they are as people

and then they've come together as a couple

and met each other on those terms.

They seem to understand each other and each other's lifestyles

and the commitments of both sides

and once you have that understanding, that's wonderful

so, yeah, he's ready.

It was in September 2017 at the Invictus Games in Toronto

that the couple stepped out officially,

leaving no doubt of their romance.

I think it spoke volumes about who they are

and how they plan to go about their life together.

It looked casual, it looked relaxed,

it looked happy, it looked normal

and that's not something you see every day with the royal families

and especially not with royal romances.

They seem very, very happy.

She is very beautiful on the outside and clearly the impression I get

is she's very beautiful on the inside, too.

When the right person comes along,

everything just starts to make more sense.

So, in that respect,

he definitely seems like he's found his one.

Harry and Meghan's backgrounds couldn't be more different.

In September 1984, a prince was born,

the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Queen has said that she and all the royal family

are delighted at the news.

On the pavement outside the gates,

the first celebrations got under way.

# For she's a jolly good fellow... #

It was immediately announced - his name is going to be Henry

and he was going to be known as Harry.

Born third in line to the British throne,

it was soon clear as Prince Harry grew up

that informality suited him...

-WHISPERED:

-Harry!

..as the character of a fun-loving, outgoing boy emerged.

He went to Germany with Princess Diana to visit her regiment.

Harry went with her and he was going to ride in a tank.

When the troop ran out, he ran out with them

and we knew then that he wanted to be in the Army

and the military and he was really all kitted out, all made up

and he absolutely loved it.

Aged eight, it was his first formal engagement.

He was exposed to public life early,

though his parents tried to provide Harry and elder brother William

with as normal a life as possible.

All of reality TV now, the royals were,

like, the first version of that.

It's almost like an upbringing that was ten years ahead of its time.

Diana was an incredibly loving mother.

What she really wanted

was a comparatively informal childhood for the two little boys...

..to go out to theme parks and the cinema

and fast-food restaurants and to really have fun together.

I think Charles definitely instilled in both of his sons

a love of the countryside, a love of the outdoors.

I also think that Charles has instilled perhaps a sense of duty.

The Prince of Wales taught the boys about Shakespeare

and the opera, but Diana took them to the pictures.

But she also set a great example to Harry

about using the royal position.

We have a battle on our hands. It has to be waged on two major fronts.

She really set the example

of thinking about those who are less fortunate in society

and how one should use one's royal position for the better of others.

There were no flags flying in Los Angeles

to mark the birth of the bride-to-be, Rachel Meghan Markle,

the only child of Thomas Markle and Doria Radlan.

So, Meghan grew up in Hollywood, in Los Angeles.

Her mother is a social worker who is also a therapist and yoga teacher.

Her father was a lighting director and worked on film sets

and he was able to offer her a window into that world

and she was able to see from that what she wanted to do with her life.

Born in August 1981, three years before Harry,

Meghan was also raised with a social conscience,

as she revealed in a magazine article.

I know that she's very close

with her parents.

Her mother is a free spirit and very encouraging and supportive

so I know that her family plays a big part of, like,

who she is and being a strong woman.

When she was at school, they had to fill in a census

and on the census, there was a question

as to what ethnic group are you

and there was a box for black and there was a box for white

and she felt very strongly that if she'd chosen black or white,

it would be privileging one parent over the other

so she simply didn't know what to do.

And so she left it blank and she went home

and she explained to her father what she'd done

and her father said to her, "Next time that happens, Meghan,

"draw your own box."

I think that's a very striking story about the way

in which her parents brought her up,

showed her how to fight back against racism,

how to fight back against categories

and they really fostered in her a love of creativity,

a love of expressing herself and encouraged her acting career.

Meghan shared her thoughts in a revealing article for Vanity Fair.

She invited me to her home.

She made a fabulous lunch, laid a beautiful table, you know.

She's a foodie.

She was an incredibly gracious host and very warm

and she offered to put me in touch with her parents.

They split up when Meghan was two,

but what's extraordinary about that

is that they did raise her together,

so when her father would maybe have her company for the weekend

and he would drop her off on Sundays,

he wouldn't just drop her off in front of the house and leave.

They would all sit in front of the TV,

in front of their snack tables having Sunday dinner together

so, in effect, she feels that she was raised by both parents,

which is a testament to them as well, you know.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Listen to this welcome.

CHEERING

Harry's parents also divorced.

750 million viewers had watched

the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales -

sadly, a marriage that wasn't to last.

It is announced from Buckingham Palace that, with regret,

the Prince and Princess of Wales have decided to separate.

-NEWS REPORT:

-They will continue

to carry out separate public engagements

and both will play a full part in the upbringing of their children.

-NEWS REPORT:

-It was a depleted family group

at church at Sandringham this morning.

For the first time, Prince William and Prince Harry

were without their mother on Christmas Day.

But everything was overshadowed by the tragic event in August 1997.

Within the last few moments,

the Press Association in Britain, citing unnamed British sources,

has reported that Diana, Princess of Wales, has died.

The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, showed the conflict

of public life versus private grief

that Harry has always seemed to struggle with.

When the boys returned to London, they came here to Kensington Palace,

facing the crowds amidst a sea of flowers.

William was 15, Harry only 12.

I was at Kensington Palace when they came to view the flowers

and I was taking pictures.

They were with their father

and I was quite amazed how strong they were.

At one stage, I saw Harry's face sort of crack up -

really, really was tough for him.

CHOIR SING IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

Prince Harry has channelled his trauma

into good purpose around the world.

Aged 19, he spent two months in Lesotho.

I asked friends of mine in choosing where I should go for my gap year

and it was sort of based around what my mother had been doing

and I wanted to sort of carry that on

and what better place than to do it here?

It's got a problem with Aids and there's lots of children.

I'm sure she knew this place,

but I'm trying to start something slightly new.

The "something new" was the charity Sentebale, founded in 2006.

Sentebale is important because there's still

a lot of stigma around HIV so it's really important

that we create the environment conducive

to people accepting their condition

and better managing it without feeling embarrassed or ashamed.

I've seen the kids' reaction when Harry's around so, yeah,

Harry seems to have a way with the kids, man.

They really take to him, he's got a jokey relationship.

There's one kid, Harry gifted him some Wellington boots

when he was, like, really young and he still,

like, holds a lot of sentimental value

so there's a personal connection which you don't always get.

We were in Lesotho. I said, "Harry, this is important to you, is it?"

He said, "It's the most important thing I've ever done."

He cares.

It bothers him that some people are just dealt a raw hand

and it is important for people to know

that someone in his position has that empathy.

Harry's ability to confront issues means he is hands on,

even persuading pop star Rihanna to take a live HIV test with him

on World Aids Day.

That's not bad.

He has carefully selected the charities

he supports as a royal patron.

WellChild is all about the family.

It's very much about getting the young person who is not well,

getting them back into their home.

I've seen Prince Harry with the kids at WellChild

and the kids rush up to him, joke with him.

Nice to see you, Harry!

Ask him the most incredible questions

that we would never dare and he just...

He's magical with them and he understands young people,

he understands families, he understands upset and hurt and pain.

-This is my dad, Julian.

-Hi, nice to meet you. Your dad?

Wow, very nice to meet you.

-VOICEOVER:

-He just seems so interested in people

and he's got a genuine story to tell himself.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

and Prince Harry set up Heads Together,

a merging of eight mental health charities working to remove stigma

and showing by example that mental health issues can affect anyone.

For the first 28 years of my life, never talked about it.

Speaking to Harry, he said, "I didn't speak for 20 years

"and it really affected me and I wish I had spoken earlier."

-VOICEOVER:

-I think it takes a strong person to do that.

-VOICEOVER:

-I think it takes somebody who wants to make change

for the better for other people to do that

and I think he sits in that category.

People are always going at public figures

for not appearing to be themselves on TV or in interviews

and I think throughout Harry's whole life,

we have seen him be entirely honest.

And Prince Harry as a young man

did many of the things that young people do.

Yes, he had his early time of fun and partying and excess,

about the same time as the average British young man

is also enjoying himself.

When someone kind of bares all and shows you the good times,

the bad times, that's how you get a real idea of the person

and I think that Prince Harry, in his time,

has been able to have a bit of fun with it as well

and I think that's what people like about Prince Harry.

He's kind of like our prince, basically.

We always look and think,

"That's the kind of thing I'd do if I was a prince."

I do feel like he's very much in touch with popular culture

and if he wasn't, how would he have met Meghan as well?

Harry is now in his 30s and in Meghan,

he seems to have found a woman he can share a future with.

What else do we know about her?

She's an American,

a successful actor, comfortable in the public gaze.

Less known is the nature of a woman already using her status

to draw attention to vital issues on a global stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, Meghan Markle.

I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

As an ambassador for World Vision Canada,

the health of youngsters has become a focus.

What's really interesting is that she was already on this path

long before she met Harry.

This is the water that she's going through all this work to get.

It's keeping her out of school and making her sick as well

so it's time to build some wells

and make things a lot better than what we're seeing here.

These girls are able to stay in school

cos they're not walking hours a day

to go and get water and this clean water source

has changed the entire community so it's really cool to see.

At the United Nations, she's spoken loudly and clearly on equality.

Women need a seat at the table.

They need an invitation to be seated there and in some cases

where this isn't available, well, then, you know that?

Then they need to create their own table.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Her father's advice ringing in her ears,

she continues to stand up for herself,

including in her portrayal of Rachel Zane,

the role that brought her to fame in the popular legal drama Suits.

Every script seemed to begin with, "Rachel enters, wearing a towel."

I said, "Nope, I'm not going to do that any more."

At a certain point, you feel empowered enough to just say no.

Now, she has described that as her Goldilocks role

and she said it was the role that was just right for me.

She's earned her place.

Meghan studied theatre

and international relations at Chicago's Northwestern University,

before launching her career as a model and actor.

You know, she was a theatre major, but also international relations

and politics and world history was as important to her as a student.

But she struggled for a time as an actress, too, you know?

She took a lot of stray jobs, like actors do.

She was a restaurant hostess. You know, she's...

She knows the world, you know, from the bottom up.

She's come a long way

from the merely decorative early appearances,

notably in the US version of the game show Deal Or No Deal,

before breaking into movies

in a romantic comedy...

Meghan just immediately made me feel comfortable

and I think from that day forward, it was like, "We're friends."

I'm chasing a guy who doesn't exist.

Oh, honey, aren't we all?

Meghan's always been ambitious

and that's one thing that I loved and totally admired about her.

Why can't it be more like Pretty Woman?

You want to be a hooker on Hollywood Boulevard?

-VOICEOVER:

-She's quick.

It's fun to have conversations with her

cos she's quick and witty and just silly and smart.

While Meghan was building a career, so was Harry.

He spent ten years in the military,

including two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Roger. Orange smoke now.

Well, it's my job to try and get the helicopter to land in here,

get the job done, get them back on the helicopter and get them out.

He's been there, he's seen it, he's done it

so before you see His Royal Highness Prince Harry,

you see the military man in him.

You see, actually, the camaraderie. You see the team spirit.

They didn't get mortared

and we didn't get mortared so everything's fine.

It's something he's extremely passionate about.

He loves being in the Armed Forces, he loves what they do

and he can really just be himself.

Where he was always happiest as a young man was on active duty,

active service.

If he was an ordinary young man,

Prince Harry would be in the Army now.

His time in the military came to an abrupt end

when his presence was leaked in the foreign media.

And so he was heartbroken.

Simply, that was the end of his active duty service.

He had to come home.

Leaving the frontline proved to be a defining moment.

-PRINCE HARRY:

-There was two injured guys

who came back on the plane with us,

both out cold throughout the whole of the flight.

Those are guys who had been blown up by a mine

and, you know, those are the heroes.

He's very much a military man and you see it in his work,

today as well, what he does for the Armed Forces

and for the charities and for the veterans.

It's really very impressive, considering how young he is,

how much he has done for charity.

Harry has never lost his intrepid nature.

In 2011,

he joined a team of injured veterans as they ventured to the North Pole.

The point of this is to raise awareness for these guys.

They've been through hell and they've come out the other side.

They're doing it for all those other servicemen

and women who are still coming back injured.

He pulled us aside and said,

"Right, guys, first of all, no more 'Prince Harry', no more 'sir'.

"You call me Harry, no more formalities,"

and that just relaxed the whole situation

from that very first moment.

And he said, "Listen, guys, I'm here for five days.

"Give me some of your extra weight because I'm happy to pull that."

There was no special treatment whatsoever.

He slept in a tent like we did. He had to make his own food.

It takes three hours to melt enough ice and snow

to hydrate and for your food.

He had to go through that whole process as well.

We shared so many stories about being in the Army together,

serving together, what we experienced in Afghanistan

and back in the life in the UK.

It just shows what character he is and what type of guy it is

and the skills that he just naturally has.

In 2016, it was none other than Kensington Palace

who confirmed the romance of Prince Harry and Meghan

with an unprecedented press release

issued to protect his girlfriend Meghan Markle

from what was described as -

"a wave of abuse and harassment".

I think it spoke very clearly about the status of their relationship.

I think it's normal for any man to want to defend their partner

or want to defend the person that they love.

And you could almost hear his voice and his passion in the statement.

They felt a line had been crossed with...

It's a cliche, this idea, you know, that someone has your back,

but he did and I think, as she said, you know,

her boyfriend made her feel safer.

It demanded privacy for the relationship to grow

and it demanded respect for her.

Why should it be controversial that someone is mixed race?

Like, what is the issue?

And I just remember reading that statement and thinking,

"Gosh, he clearly really, really loves her."

They're sort of in it together, you know,

and while he's much more used to that kind of scrutiny,

I think, at the end of the day, they're still two people,

a couple in love with each other and everything else,

all the trappings, you can't avoid them,

but I don't think she's going to give up her love of life

and her zest for it and she's someone who told me,

"I'm not defined by any relationship I've ever been in

"and this won't be an exception."

In September 2017,

Meghan and Harry made their official entrance as a couple.

Significantly, it was at the Invictus Games,

the games set up by Harry

to aid wounded servicemen and women through sport.

-NEWS REPORT:

-In London today for the first Invictus Games,

the brainchild, of course, of Prince Harry.

-PRINCE HARRY:

-The admiration I have for these men and women

to move beyond their injuries is limitless.

You prove that anything is possible if you have the will.

Welcome to the games.

Welcome to Invictus.

CHEERING

I mean, this is his baby

so he was just leading from the front from the beginning.

It comes from within.

You have to be around him to see that.

He cares so passionately about people.

I knew that it was my responsibility to use the great platform

that I have to help the world understand

and be inspired by the spirit of those who wear the uniform.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

What Invictus does is sort of just reminds you

that there's that other person underneath, polishes you up

and then sends you out again.

That's a real mind-set change and that's completely down to Invictus.

One, two, three... Go!

Harry pulls out all the stops to make the Games memorable,

even calling in favours.

-..From last year doing their thing, running in the 100m...

-Mm-hm.

-..and the American man here is incredibly fast.

-He's quite close.

-"HAIL TO THE CHIEF" RINGTONE PLAYS

-Oh, message?

Oh, from Michelle.

How very amusing! Would you like to watch it together?

-Yes.

-Let's have a look.

Hey, Prince Harry.

Remember when you told us to bring it at the Invictus Games?

Careful what you wish for.

You know, he came up with the concept and how fantastic!

Boom!

Oh, really!

Please!

Boom!

Well, the world's press got what they wished for

when Harry turned up with Meghan.

Clearly, she came to the tennis, which was fantastic

because, again, the crowds were there.

They added something, you know, special.

There is that spark when he is with her and that's important.

At the closing ceremony, she was in a box

and he went in to see her in the box

and there was a little cheeky kiss captured.

I don't think that kiss was for the cameras, but it was captured.

She's not someone, I think, who will be easily controlled by anyone

and I think this was partly her appeal for him, you know.

And what might Meghan bring to the royal family?

She's going to be a royal bride.

She's going to be the mother of princes and princesses.

She's going to go down into the history books.

Meghan symbolises a bridging of communities and peoples

and the breaking down of barriers.

I already think she's giving the royal family a big shot of energy.

As an heir to the throne,

Harry cannot marry without a significant person's permission.

Prince Harry is a royal and because of his position close to the throne,

he must ask the Queen whether he may marry or not.

It's perhaps a reminder that while this is a very modern love affair,

it is still a royal romance with all that that brings with it.

His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales is to marry Meghan Markle.

I think people are just really excited

and thrilled that he has so quickly fallen in love

and found someone who is clearly so right for him.

We're watching the most celebrated family

have a celebration of ultimate love and who doesn't want to watch that?

I think their wedding will be, like, bigger than the Super Bowl, right?

I think it'll be big.

Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry is another important step

for the House of Windsor as it moves cautiously into the modern age.

Harry, several steps away from the throne,

may face less pressure, but much will be expected

of this new royal couple as they begin their journey together.

I hope that they remain as fresh and as fun

and as lively as we see them today.

I wish them all the strength in the world.

I wish them an understanding of each other, a journey of growth,

of compromise and, most importantly, love and happiness.

They're the two right persons for each other.

Perfect, absolutely perfect.