Prince Harry told pals he wanted ‘a celebrity wife’ who can handle the media storm BEFORE he met Meghan Markle
PRINCE Harry had revealed he wanted to find a celebrity wife who could handle the spotlight - before meeting Meghan Markle.
The fifth-in-line to the throne admitted to a friend that ";only somebody who was already in the public eye would be able to understand and handle everything that goes with being with [a prince]".
But the source, , added: "I don’t think he went out and deliberately looked for a famous actress."
It's an understandable request from the royal, who has grown up in the public eye, and regularly making headlines with everything from his charity work to playing polo.
But Prince Harry admitted in the couple's first interview together he didn't know who the Suits actress was when they were set-up.
In their first ever joint interview, Harry told the BBC: "I'd never even heard of her until this friend said 'Meghan Markle' - I was like 'right OK give me a bit of background.'
"I'd never watched any of Suits. I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her.
"I thought I'm really gonna have to up my game, sit down and make sure I have good chat."
The 36-year-old star agreed with Harry, claiming that her upbringing in US meant she was less aware of the royal family.
Of their first date, she said: "It was definitely a set-up. It was a blind date for sure. We talk about it now.
"Because I'm from the States you don't grow up with the same understanding of the royal family, I now know there's a global interest them."
And while Meghan was used to some of the limelight, she said she was surprised at the intensity of public interest in the prince and his family.
According to one royal watcher, on that first date Meghan “was funny, feisty, confident and she wasn’t swayed or knocked by the fact he was Prince Harry. She thought he was terribly cute.”
Harry was said to be the one who was starstruck.
But Meghan managed to handle the spotlight well during her first official engagement by the side of Prince Harry, with Meghan-mania sweeping Nottingham last week.
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The couple, who have been dating for about a year, are now planning their wedding for May next year.
Rumours around the details of the big day have already begun to swirl, with Alexander McQueen one possible contender as wedding dress designer.
The couple could also be choosing a banana cake for their guests to chow down on for the wedding.
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