The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a few things to celebrate in 2026.

Harry and Meghan

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will mark a special milestone this year (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to mark a special milestone this year. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to have been together forever, however it was in fact only 10 years ago this summer since they first met.

The couple, who were introduced by a mutual friend, began texting on July 1, 2016, and met up just two days later for their first date. This took place in Soho House in London, with Meghan having been in London to watch Wimbledon.

The couple got on extremely well, setting up another date for July 4.

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It was on this date that Harry, now 44, brought Meghan a July 4 cupcake to mark Independence Day - a nod to the fact she is American.

They then met up again in summer for a camping trip in Botswana.

When talking about their first date in his memoir Spare, Harry described how he felt when he arrived 30 minutes late and saw Meghan for the first time in real life.

He wrote: "She was wearing a black sweater, jeans, heels. I knew nothing about clothes, but I knew she was chic. Then again, she could make anything look chic.”

The prince continued: "I'd seen so many photos of her from fashion shoots and TV sets, all glam and glossy, but here she was, in the flesh, no frills, no filter… and even more beautiful.

“Heart-attack beautiful. I was trying to process this, struggling to understand what was happening to my circulatory and nervous systems, and as a result my brain couldn't handle any more data. Conversation, pleasantries, the Queen's English, all became a challenge."

The couple have both said over the years that they knew the other was special within just a few days, with their relationship being somewhat of a whirlwind.

This is because Harry proposed to Meghan just over a year after knowing her, with the pair marrying in 2018. Since then they have had two children - Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.