After almost a year of dating, jetting across the world to see each other, attending weddings in the likes of Jamaica and the Berkshire countryside of the UK, and hanging out in some of London's most exclusive private members clubs, Prince Harry and his girlfriend, Meghan Markle have enjoyed what many of us would call the perfect honeymoon period, especially when it comes to A-list relationships.

Despite their high-profile romance, however, the pair have managed to keep their budding union relatively under the radar from prying eyes, having only been spotted on a handful occasions together – most commonly at private events – with the world still clueless as to details of the pair's love.

Seriously, we've done our fair share of digging about Harry and Meghan's relationship and, unlike most celebrities, these two aren't giving anything away.

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So, in the days following Pippa Middleton's wedding – at which Prince Harry reportedly drove a 100-mile round trip to take his girlfriend to the bride's reception dinner – we've investigated how the pair have been able to maintain the mystery around their romance.

Away from the fame

Given the fact the 35-year-old was born and raised in Los Angeles, Californian – where stars come in search of fame, fortune in Hollywood and are shot by the paparazzi every day of their lives – it's important to remember that Markle currently lives in Toronto, where her hit USA legal drama, Suits, is based.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry lives in Kensington Palace, London as keep a relatively low profile when it comes to being seen out and about with his friends. Apart from royal engagements and the odd 'let-loose' moment with mates across the Atlantic (*ahem* that Las Vegas hotel room shot), the 32-year-old royal lives life icognito much like the rest of us on a daily basis (of course, with the added bonus of security guards).

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As a result, when visiting each other in Toronto and London, the pair are able to keep their romance pretty secret from the media and fans, while also making trips around the world to remote locations such as Norway and Jamaica to spend time together.

Keeping quiet

Over the course of the pair's relationship, neither Meghan nor Harry have spoken out about their romance. However, Buckingham Palace has been keen to protect the actress from intrusions of privacy and shut down any rumours that aren't specifically confirmed by the pair.

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For example, in November Buckingham Palace issued a statement to ask the public for privacy and respect with regards to the royal's relationship, saying: 'His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public—the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.'

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Days later, Kensington Palace issues a second statement via the Telegraph to announce: 'The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him.'

The friends they keep

Having grown up in the spotlight from birth, going through school and the army under the watchful eye of the media, Harry has undoubtedly learned the hard way who to keep in his inner circle of friends so to avoid the threat of exposure, leaked secrets and broken trust.

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That's why the majority of his friends – both from Eton and the British Army – have been radio silent when it comes to Harry's relationship with Meghan, with the prince's friend and former England polo player Malcolm Borwick only recently revealing to The Sun how he's offered to teach Markle how to play polo.

And while Meghan is friends with slightly more high-profile members of Hollywood, including the likes of Priyanka Chopra – who recently commented on Meghan's relationship with Harry – her friends appear to have remained very loyal when it comes to dishing the dirt on the actress' romance with Harry.

Privacy is everything

When you're a member of the Royal Family, money really isn't an option. For example, last year Harry reportedly made a 1,700 mile detour to visit his actress girlfriend in Canada on his way back from Barbados.

On other occasions, Meghan has reportedly been flown to meet Harry via private jet, meaning the pair can both avoid being spotted by photographers and fellow traveler in the baggage claims and check-in department.

So long, Instagram

A quick look at Meghan Markle's Instagram account and you'll see the star has barely posted anything since news broke of her relationship with Harry last year.

Previously, the actress was known to post pictures to the social media site several times in a week, documenting shooting her hit show, holidays to Italy and cookery skills.

Her latest post to Instagram was her announcement that she was closing her lifestyle blog, The Tig, telling her fans, 'even though I haven't met most of you, for three years I've seen your faces and read your comments and hugged you from afar'.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry has no Instagram account…that we know of at least.

Members only

When you're dating the fifth-in-line to the British throne, you can't exactly just pop to Nandos or your local Odean for a date night.

As a result, Prince Harry's home at Kensington Palace – at which Meghan is rumoured to be moving into later this summer – has become a haven for the pair, as well as hotels across the world, private members clubs such as Soho House, and after-hours tours of the Natural History Museum.

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The sky really is the limit for these two.

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.