The world finally knows who set Prince Harry up with fiancée Meghan Markle.
The two admitted they met on a blind date in 2016, but have been secretive about the identity of their matchmaker. The secret is out thanks to E! News who has learned that Violet von Westenholz–PR director for Ralph Lauren and Harry’s childhood friend–is responsible for the coupling.
According to what E! calls a “well-placed source,” Von Westenholz decided to play Cupid after the prince complained to her about his love life.
“It's hard enough finding someone new to date,” the source said. “He can hardly go on Tinder or a dating app like normal people, but to meet someone that you actually connect with, that was proving to be almost impossible.”
Von Westenholz is based in London; her father is a baron and close friend of Prince Charles, Harry’s father. Her PR work led to an acquaintance with Markle. The soon-to-be royal fit in so well with London’s elite social circles that Von Westenholz began to picture the actress with the prince.
“Violet said she might just have the perfect girl for him," the source said.
Aside from Westenholz’s identity, the couple has been forthcoming with the rest of their love story.
Their first date was summer 2016, a standard meetup for drinks. While most women would be pressed about meeting a royal, Markle wasn’t concerned about his title.
“Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family. And so while I now understand very clearly there’s a global interest there, I didn’t know much about him,” she told People Magazine. ”And so the only thing that I had asked her when she said she wanted to set us up was – I had one question, I said ‘Well, is he nice?’”
A few more dates and a Botswana trip later, the two were engaged in November 2017. The couple is will be married in May.