One fateful evening in July 2016, TV presenter Piers Morgan took a pint of bitter and an outside table at the Scarsdale Arms in Kensington, West London.
He was joined there, under the pub’s celebrated cascading hanging baskets, by U.S. actress Meghan Markle — a stranger who had approached him on Twitter, seeking friendship and the chance to network during a visit to London.
She ordered a dirty Martini cocktail. Over the 90 minutes which followed, Meghan told Piers her life history — her university degree, a stint as a briefcase girl on Deal Or No Deal, and her hopes and dreams.
She hoped, she said, to come on his show, Good Morning Britain, to promote her TV drama, Suits, one day.
He was charmed by her beauty and her megawatt smile, and impressed by her poise and intelligence.
‘She’s strikingly beautiful, intelligent (she has two degrees, in theatre and international relations) and has a fun, feisty personality that flits easily between serious and frivolous subject matters,’ he noted approvingly in his column.
Then she disappeared in a taxi to meet friends for dinner — who then introduced her to Prince Harry.
The following night, Meghan and the Prince had their first date at Soho House, and the rest is history.
Morgan never heard from Meghan Markle again.
