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Prince Harry introduced Meghan to this royal family member first

Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images
Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images

From Red Online

A new book has revealed the royal family member Prince Harry introduced his future wife, Meghan Markle, to first – and it might come as a surprise.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, the controversial royal biography exploring what led to the Sussexes stepping down as senior royals by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, published today, charts the couple's relationship – from their first date to stepping down as senior royals in March.

When it came to introducing Meghan to 'the firm', as the book calls the royal family, Harry had one person he 'always confided in...when it came to women in his life'.

'Not only did he trust her implicitly,' Finding Freedom's authors write, 'but friends say that she gives great advice and has always been "beyond wise" for her years'.

In fact the pair are so close that 'Harry and Meghan had already been out on two [secret double] dates' with the royal family member and her boyfriend when the Sussexes joined them at a Halloween fancy-dress party in Toronto in July 2016, the night before the news broke that they were dating back.

The person in question? Harry's cousin Princess Eugenie.

Photo credit: Pascal Le Segretain - Getty Images
Photo credit: Pascal Le Segretain - Getty Images

'Eugenie had always been more than just a cousin to Harry. They were the closest of friends. Out of all the Queen's grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie had one of the most natural connections. Like Harry, Eugenie is loyal, honest and great fun...Like Harry, Eugenie also struggled to carve out her own identity growing up.'

Their close relationship mirrored that of their mothers: 'Sarah Ferguson would often bring her daughters to tea with Diana, William and Harry at Kensington Palace.'

In fact, just a year before Diana died in car crash in Paris in 1997, 'the single mothers took their kids on vacation together to the South of France'.

Harry clearly had a soft spot for Eugenie's mother, too, because Finding Freedom claims 'it was Harry who later ensured that his aunt Sarah was invited to the wedding ceremony and first reception – quite the feat considering that Prince Philip reportedly once said he never wanted to be in the same room as her again'.

Eugenie and Meghan were also close, with the Queen's granddaughter telling friends 'she loved Meghan and that she was "just the tonic" for him'.

Sadly though the relationship Meghan and Harry had worked so hard to keep private was about to make headlines around the world – and, according to the book, the press had reportedly been tipped off by someone close to home.

'[The Sunday Express] was rumoured to have been tipped off by an employee of none other than Eugenie and her father, Prince Andrew,' Scobie and Durand write.

Finding Freedom has made headlines in recent weeks, especially in regards to the claims made about Harry's strained relationship with his brother William and Meghan's 'awkward' friendship with Kate.

Meghan and Harry have distanced themselves from the biography, saying they 'did not contribute', with a statement from the Sussexes adding: 'This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting'.

Even so, many see the book as an insider look at what led to Harry and Meghan stepping down as senior royals in March, from their perspective, because many people close to the couple are said to have spoken to Scobie and Durand.

Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand is published by Harper Collins today.

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