In October 2016, the dreams of single men and women across the world were crushed when it was revealed Prince Harry was dating American actress Meghan Markle.

Of course, it didn't take long before we all became obsessed with the pair and began fantasising about a possible wedding (which has since become a reality and scheduled for 19 May).

However, while the world wiped its tears following news of the 33-year-old's new courtship, the now-engaged couple weren't exactly prepared for the news to break and ended up essentially going into hiding, as a result.

In a new excerpt from the upcoming book Harry: Life, Loss, and Love published by Vanity Fair, writer Katie Nicholl reveals Harry was visiting Markle in Toronto where she was filming Suits at the time news of their relationship broke.

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'A story was leaked that Harry had cancelled a flight to Toronto to try and make it look like he was in the U.K., but photographers and reporters descended on Meghan's home regardless,' Nicholl writes.

The prince was reportedly taken off guard by the news breaking when his aides called to tell him the story was going to be front-page news. It didn't take long before the royal knew that he and Meghan would soon be under siege by reporters.

As a result, Meghan suggested the pair escape the paparazzi by crashing at her friend and stylist Jessica Mulroney's house with her family.

Jessica and her husband, television presenter Ben (the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney) were reportedly well aware of Meghan's relationship with the prince so had no qualms about welcoming the pair into their home.

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During their stay, Harry is claimed to have gone down swimmingly with the couple's three young children, seven-year-old twins Brian and John, and their four-year-old daughter, Isobel.

I mean, what better way to play fantasy princess games than with a real-life prince in your living room, right?

Nicholl reports:

'When Harry came to visit the family he brought a bag filled with gifts. He won the kids over in an instant. He was brilliant with them and I think what swung it for Meghan was how good Harry was with them,' says a source. 'I actually think that might have been the moment Meghan really fell for Harry. He got to know the Mulroneys quite well, and they liked Harry from the beginning.'

During their time with the Mulroney family, Prince Harry reportedly got into a conversation about his late mother Princess Diana's trip to stay with Ben's family during an official tour to Canada. During her visit, she reportedly ended up playing with Ben and his siblings in the nursery.

'Harry found them immediately kind and welcoming people, and he loved hearing stories about his mother,' a friend of Ben's reportedly told Nicholl.

'Jessica is one of the nicest, sweetest people you will ever meet, and Ben is really easy to get along with.'

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In addition to details about the couple's stay at the Mulroneys, the excerpt also reveals the Suits star felt the British press was 'out to get her' after several insulting and racist stories were published following news of their relationship got out.

As a result, it is believed Prince Harry 'completely flipped' at the press upsetting his girlfriend and prompted him to issue his November statement defending his new girlfriend.

After working on several versions of his statement, Harry is claimed to have 'marched across the cobbled courtyard to Apartment 8 at Kensington Palace where his office is based, to hand the statement to his press secretary, Jason Knauf'.

Read the full excerpt here.

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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.