A new biography has given royal watchers a fascinating glimpse into the first few months of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's blossoming romance. Finding Freedom charts the couple's relationship from their first date to marriage and parenthood.
Harry and Meghan quietly dated for around six months before their relationship was made public, but before then, they enjoyed wandering around some of their favourite London spots. HELLO! takes a look at some of the couple's go-to restaurants, shops and bars in the capital.
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Soho House
The boutique Dean Street townhouse will always hold fond memories for Harry and Meghan as there's where the pair were set up on their first date in summer 2016. Finding Freedom says it was one of the couple's "tried-and-true spots" that they liked to venture out to in London during their first year of dating.
Electric Cinema
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Electric Cinema in Notting Hill
The book notes that while the couple liked to have cosy movie nights in at Nottingham Cottage, they ventured out from time to time. It says that Harry and Meghan would visit the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, where they once watched Hidden Figures. It first opened on London's Portobello Road in February 1910 and is one of the oldest working cinemas in Britain.
Sands End
According to Finding Freedom, another one of Harry and Meghan's go-to London haunts was Sands End, a rustic style gastropub in Fulham owned by the Prince's close family friend Mark Dyer. Before he began dating Meghan, Harry has been spotted in the pub on a number of occasions. Mark, who is a former Welsh Guards officer, is one of Archie's godparents.
Portobello Market
© Photo: RexMeghan's earrings for Misha Nonoo's wedding were reportedly from Portobello Market
Meghan reportedly liked to peruse antiques and homewares at the iconic market in west London's Notting Hill. Its website says: "You can expect to find a wonderful and wide array on antiques dating from BC to the 1960’s on offer including items such as glass and crystal, silver, books and many other collectibles."
The Duchess reportedly borrowed a pair of earrings from a friend, which were picked up from vintage stall at Portobello Market four years ago, for Misha Nonoo's wedding in Italy in September 2019.
MORE: 15 secrets we've learnt from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal biography
Kurobuta
The book says that one of Meghan's favourite places to lunch was the Kurobuta pop-up on the Kings Road, which serves tapas-style Japanese. It takes its inspiration from the Izakayas of Japan, where street food style plates are served to accompany drinks in a casual setting.
It now has a permanent restaurant in London's Marble Arch and the set lunch menu, which consists of a starter, a main and a side with a green tea or a small glass of wine, will only set you back £15.95 per person.
Whole Foods
© Photo: Getty ImagesMeghan would shop for groceries at Whole Foods' Kensington supermarket
The Suits star was spotted walking solo through the gates of Kensington Palace after a shopping trip to pick up some groceries from the nearby Whole Foods supermarket. It came shortly after Harry and Meghan's romance was publicly revealed.
The book notes that the couple "spent the majority of their time doing ordinary things like shopping for groceries at Whole Foods." The American supermarket chain, which is known for its organic selections, currently has seven stores in London.
Kensington Flower Corner
Finding Freedom says that Meghan liked to pick up flowers from the family-run business based outside St. Mary Abbots Church on Kensington High Street. She used to regularly post photos of beautiful bouquets on her now deactivated Instagram account. One photo showed a pretty bunch of pink and white peonies, which Meghan captioned: "Swooning over these. #London #peonies #spoiledrotten." We wonder if they were a sweet gift from Harry?
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