For a royal-born prince, I don’t think Prince Harry had many “moves” before he met then-Meghan Markle. He was a panicked, sweaty mess (and LATE) on their first date. In Spare, he made it sound like Meghan kissed him first, and she was the one who organized their first dates. But Harry did have one “move” – inviting Meghan to Botswana just days after their first date. It was a move he pulled with several other ladies. All of which is common knowledge, and yet this is the Mail’s top royal story today:
Though Prince Harry recently visited Africa alone, it was once a place he used to help solidify his relationship with Meghan Markle – as well as several of his previous girlfriends. Early in their blossoming romance, Harry invited Meghan on a trip to Botswana in 2017. They stayed ‘in a £1,500 deluxe tent at the Meno a Kwena safari camp,’ Tina Brown claims in her 2022 book The Palace Papers.
However, the royal biographer tells how Prince William was quick to point out to his ‘starry-eyed’ younger brother: ‘You do realise this is the fourth girl you’ve taken to Botswana?’
King Charles’s younger son had asked a number of romantic interests to accompany him on a trip – including actress Cressida Bonas, who, Ms Brown writes, ‘passed the Africa test on a successful vacation together in the Okavango Delta [in Botswana]’. After visiting several times for charity work, the southern African nation became a favourite place of Harry’s, ‘especially when trying to impress a girlfriend’, Andrew Morton wrote in his 2018 release, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess.
He also took television presenter Natalie Pinkham there, reportedly in 2004. Harry visited again the following year, this time with his on-and-off girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and they are said to have made annual trips there during their seven years together.
While none of these relationships worked out, Harry’s African getaway with Meghan became particularly memorable – for it was where the couple deepened their relationship. With ‘breath-taking views across the dark-blue waters of the nearby Boteti River’, according to Mr Morton, Harry and Meghan enjoyed long walks, safaris and used the time together to get to know one another.
It’s strange that the Mail quotes Tina Brown and Andrew Morton… and not Harry himself? Harry wrote, in Spare, about his magical trip to Botswana with Meghan early in their relationship. It was his go-to relationship test, to see if a girlfriend can handle camping out and going without luxury spas and such. Plus, I think he just liked to bring girlfriends to Botswana to meet his other family, Tania and Mike. Why is the Mail recycling these old stories? “Meghan was the fourth girlfriend taken to Botswana!” Okay, and? They’re married with two children, so obviously Meghan was the one who passed the test with flying colors. The fact that Harry was testing Meghan so early in the relationship is what bugs me more than “Meghan was the fourth girlfriend he took to Botswana.” When I read Spare, it dawned on me that Harry tested Meghan many times in their first year and I hate when men pull that sh-t.
Photos courtesy of Netflix’s ‘Harry & Meghan’.
Huevo was there with j e c c a even after he and Kate married. She was in his safari parties
Also william doesn’t need africa to pull some sht. He only had to take the chopper to go rosebushing a married woman with kids, as a married man himself with kids.
The main thing is that she was the last GF he took there. And the only one he asked the queen about marrying. It likely wasn’t a test so much as meeting those who were important to him and establishing common ground. Most people do “test” people they date in finding out what they have in common. That’s sort of the point of dating.
Exactly!
Yes, it’s a good thing they had the alone time to “test” one another. All the he!! they’ve been through, most relationships would NOT survive. Bravo to them.
It’s not who’s first, it’s who’s last that wins. And you’re right, people do want to “test the waters” when they first start dating someone, just to make sure the attraction is real and mutual. I think Harry was also showing her what his interests are and if she’s cool with said interests.
Yeah, he’s the only one that’s written a memoir. I’m sure Meghan had tests too, I know I would have especially given who he is. I’m sure she needed to be just as sure about him before getting to invested as he had to be sure about her.
Exactly 💯. Meghan was not only the last, but easily the best.
Sure it’s a place that’s important to him so of course he’d want to see how the gfs react and if they’re on the same page.
It’s also a place where they can spend time together in peace without the paps following their every move.
Agree. I never saw it as a test but a secluded place where they can get to know each other more out in the open. Harry never said in Spare that he was “testing” her. He not only took girlfriends there but his friends as well. It’s a place that is home to him and he is more relaxed. I never saw where Harry was testing Meghan.
It was absolutely a test and he stated as much in his book when he mentioned wanting to see if she was high maintenance or not. He did test her quite a bit in that first year and I don’t get the sense she did the same with him…she was paying her own way half the time and putting up with his family bull crap. She really wanted him, in my opinion. People talk about Kate dying to be with William, but Kate received a lot more benefits while dating. William pretty much paid her way and he family’s way for everything. I get the opposite feeling with Harry.
Not making it to obvious that they are actively trying to cause trouble and damage their Marriage. Hell is to good for these people.
They can’t cause trouble in their marriage. How could they? Their audience isn’t Meghan and Harry, anyway. They don’t read the tabloids. It’s the usual deflection /opposite day. They’ll be doing the same bs when they’re out at different events in a couple of days. They have zero power in that marriage.
They’re trying to make it sound like he’s not really devoted to her, because they REALLY want him back. It’s silly though because doesn’t matter if he took every girlfriend too Botswana, it’s clearly a very important place to him. Where is he right now, and who is a Senior working Royal right now? I think that says more for his devotion to her then where their initial dates were.
Sure. Of course I know that’s what they’re trying to suggest, it’s obvious. I’m. Simply commenting on the number of ‘ they’re trying to destroy the marriage’ comments I’ve been reading here and on insta. Which they can’t because H and M don’t pay attention to tabs. Harry and Meghan aren’t their audience so no one needs to worry. This whole plot line is about peg and buttons.
This part! Man takes women he has feelings for to his favourite place on earth- press conference at three. Look, no one is surprised he took previous partners he cared deeply about there including Chelsea and Cressida. But he married and built a life with Meghan and is very very devoted to that life and family and the press trying to make him look like a playboy with a dedicated move is just ridiculous.
God, these people can’t write about the real drama going on so we are getting this crap.
@Hypocrisy … It seemed to me like they were pushing this as a ‘William the wise and knowing, who tried to warn his weak, bewitched brother away from Meghan’ moment by pointing out there was nothing special about her since he’d taken three other women to Africa.
I think this article was really just another attempt to embiggen William, which is why they used an excerpt from Tina Brown’s book that included him.
Time for the rota to stick reporting on the liver spotted and lazy royals. Stop making stuff up about the Sussex’s.
But he did not marry the other girlfriends.
The timeline in this piece is wrong. Harry and Meghan first went to Botswana in 2016. And as Kaiser says it’s strange that the DM didn’t quote Harry’s book for this piece. Anyway this is not the first time the DM has written this article and it just shows that the British press are struggling for new stories about Harry and Meghan.
Why is it Cain or the BM business how many women Harry take to Botswana?
Was he up in a tree trying to get cellphone reception to them?
What drives the BRF and the BM nuts, is that he loves her, and there is nothing they can do about it.
I think we need to pause here and appreciate the fact that there are people who are devoting their professional lives to trying to come up with anything, no matter how weak, petty, old or untrue, to publish about this couple.
Can you imagine how weird your life would be if this was your job?
This is a nothing burger story: for a mid-thirties person, four significant relationships is healthy and normal experience, and taking a partner to a place you love is a normal thing to do.
I didn’t read it as a test at the time. If Meghan hated living in a tent, would he not ask her to marry him? It seemed like “meeting the family” to me, since he had a real, more intimate relationship with people there. Also, both of them were in their 30’s at that point and wanted to have children. So, I wasn’t surprised they moved quickly since they were in love and had the same values and dreams. DM is gonna use H&M stories for decades to come in order to fill their pages though.
I feel like as a “test” is was more about what the institution and media were going to put her through- could she stand up to the confines of his life. Which include institution, press, and the charity work he actually loved.
But i adore them, so i’m predisposed to give him a pass.
But i do think it is different than a guy purposefully giving a girl a difficult route to see if she *really* loves him. – which is what i think of with men and their “testing.”
Honestly, if that was the “test”, Harry didn’t actually do it. He made sure their relationship was secret until Meghan was properly in love with him. We read the stories of him dating a girl, the press finding out in a week or two, the girl leaving him because of the horrible media headlines. Meghan was in love with him at that point and they were discussing their future. Maybe not fully consciously, Harry found someone who didn’t know how awful the tabloids are to the women in BRF (I also didn’t know that because I don’t live in UK) and kept her secret as long as possible. I don’t know if Meghan would have stayed if the media harassment started a few weeks later they met.
If Harry was testing Meghan ( and it’s a big IF) then I can’t blame him. He isn’t a normal guy. He is a member of a very toxic royal family and the press hound him and who he is close to. It’s a lot.
what is the end game here, Regardless of the test she passed i’m sure she put him through some tests as well, and now they are both being tested. so if you are trying to shame Meghan because she was the 4th She Married him and had his babies. she reached out for help when his family dropped him is deep water and lit the blow torches. so in the end its irrelevant because i bet he didnt see the level of fire and brimstone heading their way
Big news couple now married have dated and had relationships before they met. Dm is desperate
William didn’t, at least not publicly. Probably because no other woman was interested.
William did have other girlfriends. Those relationships were just more private because he was at uni. He actually was in a relationship when Kate used a charity fashion event to seduce him.
True story, Botswana is my favorite country in the world. I’ve actually tried to move there several times but it has never worked out. If I had the money, I would take everyone I knew.
It is particularly silly to make it sound like being there with Chelsea is somehow notable. She is from Zimbabwe, literally right next door. Everybody in that area (including South Africa) who has the means visits Botswana regularly. It is spectacular.
We have a new government, try again next year. I have a feeling things will be easier.
This is what I got out of this story: Man Loves Botswana and Wants to Share it with Everyone
I’d never realized that he took multiple girlfriends there – which makes me think it must be amazing and I should go there, too!
If Botswana is a place he loves, and will always visit, it sounds logical to see immediately if a woman he’s interested in will like it too. It avoids future arguments if they remain together.
Poor things….they have nothing to write and have to regurgitate old stories.
I’m sure they can’t wait for February 2025.
All of this recycling of who went where and how many times they went is absolute nonsense and smacks of desperation. This couple is married have two children and are living their best lives. Most folks I know or have dated have some sort of measure they use to determine compatibility or future with. At the time, you may not know it but as time progresses, you sense it. I think it is a good thing. Both women and men should do it. Pretty sure Meghan had a metric she used for Harry as well.
Daily Mail writes article inferring Meghan isn’t special, because Harry took her to a vacation spot he had also taken his exes to as a test…
Public reads that and concludes that Meghan passed said test, since she was the very last girlfriend he took to his beloved Botswana.
Conclusion: Harry and Meghan were meant for each other, whereas Harry was not meant to be with the earlier girlfriends.
And William co-opted his friend’s proposal story. What else has does the royal rota have to write about this morning? Any crumbs from the boring BRF?
I read someplace that Jecca and William had a “pretend” engagement and they did a “fertility” dance in Botswana.
Is that what the kids are calling pre-marital sex these days. How novel.
I took all my serious relationships to my favorite places and introduced them all to close family/friends. That is normal dating. I am just not rich so we didn’t fly to another country. But its the same sort of thing.
The BM write constantly about Harry and Meghan but almost never reference Spare. There are so many times when I’m thinking no that’s not true bc of this detail in spare. The only time they reference it is when they can twist a detail into a narrative that suits them.
They can’t reference Spare because that would bring attention to the fact that it was one of the fastest and highest grossing non-fiction autobiographies in a long while. Remember buying 2 copies of Duchess Meghan’s guest editing of British Vogue. Silly me kept searching for numbers from UK on it’s success, only to come up with crickets. None of this fits their narrative.
With no real news to discuss, the media resort to rehashing old gossip. The media’s persistence in crafting separate personal storylines for Harry and Meghan is a desperate attempt to create drama that isn’t panning out — so here they are going to old stories.
I do agree that testing one’s partner is a common behavior, especially among men As lovely as I think Harry is, it is clear to me that HE is the lucky one – Meghan brings elegance, intelligence, integrity, and so much more to the table.
for the record – I took every single serious boyfriend I had to Lake Tahoe – which is a place I love. And now – many decades into a marriage – we still go to Tahoe. Just like I did with my boyfriends in high school, college and after college. This is dumb.
Right?! I took all my serious befriends back home at some point to introduce them to my family and old friends. This isn’t much different except he’s a prince with a much more spectacular home away from home.
“When I read Spare, it dawned on me that Harry tested Meghan many times in their first year and I hate when men pull that sh-t.” Why? He is a prince. And, granted, he lived in squalor until Meghan upgraded him, but we can’t pretend that many women would absolutely want to get with him just because he was a prince. Good on him for “testing” them and making sure they really liked HIM and not his life or title. He took them on a relatively low-glam and inexpensive vacation, with no photographers around, and just asked them to “be”. I think it’s pretty smart and he got the love of his life out of it.
💯🎯
This reminds me of the many stories that came out when Meghan had gone on maternity leave just before having Archie. There were numerous stories in the tabloids about how she wanted to meet a British guy, to give the impression any British guy would do and Harry was one of many, which obviously wasn’t the case. Same here. Basically they’re saying Meghan isn’t that special and this was his move. Why this is even coming up is beyond me. There was some nasty discussion between Kinsey stalker and some Rota chick about how Meghan “clings” to her title, which they say is anti/feminist or some nonsense. They really are threatened by everything the Sussexes do. This is a busy week for them and the tabloids resort to the usual low blow tactics.
Botswana is beautiful. Who *wouldn’t* want to go there for a nice getaway when you start dating if you have the money to do it? This is a silly thing for them to even get into. Harry knew the situation for anyone he married was going to suuuuuuuuck and I don’t think it’s crazy to weed out the 100% NOPE before you or they get so attached it’s impossible to make a smart decision about it. Normal people do it all the time. ‘Meet the Family’ ‘Deal with Kids/animals’ ‘Go to a work function’ ‘Being a named +1 at a wedding’ etc. Everyone does the same type of ‘testing’ all the time, theirs is just on a grander scale.
Hmmm. Harry is a super famous prince whose girlfriends have all been subjected to insane tabloid stalking. Taking them to the middle of nowhere where they could be alone and have some normalcy seems less like a move and more like a necessity.
Dating Harry is not like dating some Average Joe. Meghan’s strength and mental health was going to be put to the test no matter what happened (and now we know thanks to the Oprah interview just how bad it got). I don’t see him taking her to Botswana as a test, more as a “I seriously like you and want to show you what I’m all about” which happens in every healthy relationship. The fact he did it so quickly is probably the big difference which of course the DM doesn’t mention, I don’t think he took the other ladies to Botswana after just two dates! The fact that she agreed so quickly and had a great time there with Harry is what most likely cemented the relationship.
I guess I wonder how many of his girlfriends he also married, moved to another country, bought a house, and had two children with. Because yeah if he did that with three other girlfriends, that’s problematic.
I never got that he was testing her. I think he was in love with her from the start and knew right away that she was an extraordinary woman. I viewed it as him being so enthralled with her that he immediately wanted to take her to someplace that was really safe to him, that had “made” him who he was, and showing her his real self, and a safe place for them to be together. I don’t view it negatively. Meghan has been tested every which way but up. I remember in Spare early in their relationship he was cruel or ugly to her. I probably would have walked. I think they both adore each other, and it is really sweet to see. I mean, they don’t talk about it or proclaim it, but their actions shout it: that they have a very tender and profound love. Whereas, the Wails proclaim it constantly, and their actions and demeanor negate it all the time, even when they are acting like they are in love. Trying to.
I think he was testing her because he mentioned in Spare how he thought she’d be too glam on the trip. She also took that chance to meet him in a foreign place after only two dates so she wanted to see the real Harry as well. She mentioned in the docuseries how she was worried they wouldn’t like each other on the trip. Another thing mentioned in the docuseries was a comment by David Olusoga, that Meghan had to constantly prove she was worthy of the title, of being Harry’s wife, and when you see articles like this, they are still doing this to her. Basically wanting her to prove her worth. It’s incredibly insulting to them as a couple and disrespectful to her.
My favourite place is Edinburgh, Scotland. And I’ve brought several friends and boyfriends there over the years. Because I wanted them to experience a place I love to go and hopefully fall in love the way I had. That’s quite a common thing to do.
I thought Harry said Botswana was their third date. That means Meghan met Harry’s close Botswana friends before his immediate family. He trusted them to help him introduce Meghan to an important part of his life. They were able to be together without the press for a decent period of time. I believe Harry had to go to Botswana for his usual summer conservation work. It was obviously an important time in the development of their relationship. And in retrospect, it seems very romantic to us who read about it in Spare. Certainly paps all over Toronto and London would be a “test” for Meghan. And if I recall, Harry told us that Meghan told him that if he didn’t get therapy to deal with the way he spoke to her, she would be gone. Meghan seemed a woman well able to stand on her own two feet.
I think rather than focusing on the Meghan of it all, maybe the tabloids of Salty Isle should consider why it is that the sign of Harry getting “serious” about someone seems to have been to take them away to the place he actually felt at home: Botswana. Not in any of his family’s estates or castles. Not anywhere in the U.K, actually. Maybe they should ponder about why exactly it is that he might not have felt safe or happy there, or at least not enough to bring home someone who he actually cared about? I think he knew he could never truly live the life he wanted in England. And, as the tabloids have so helpfully just reminded us, that seems to predate him ever meeting Meghan.
I dunno, that seems like a pretty big hint that he’s not coming back anytime soon!
This is nonsense. If I got with Trudeau and he took me somewhere, I wouldn’t care if I was the 10th woman he took there. People need to stop and leave them alone.
Harry had already made it clear in Spare that he saw Africa as his second home and one of the rare places where he could relax and not be concerned with leaks or tabloid lies interfering on his life outside of his work within the royal family. He was clear that Meghan wasn’t the only girlfriend he had taken there, but she was most definitely the only one who “stopped the conveyor belt” even “smashing it to bits” and causing him for the first time to contemplate the idea of each of us having our “one person” and she was his “one”. He never even knew about the need to get the Queen’s permission to marry because respectfully his bond with the others wasn’t the same as his connection to Meghan. He never even reached that level of love and connection that marriage was even something that he considered with the others. I don’t even see him taking them there as so much as a test than it just being his only safe space to be himself, partially or completely. The media for all the hell they put him through from his teen years through adulthood, he found comfort outside palace walls with people who weren’t biologically his family. This only shows how the media and his family have cared more about controlling his life than about loving or appreciating him for who he really is.
Even a single glance from the outside and at a glance since they officially came out as a couple shows the violence and the unprecedented public, daily hate campaign being waged against Meghan by the right-wing press. Prince Harry, Meghan and their two children are victims of something so brutal and unprecedented that it will take many decades of real journalistic work to uncover the background and consequences of this worldwide right-wing hate campaign. And as long as the daily violence does not stop, this will not be sufficiently possible. I am glad that trustworthy forces are sifting through this ejection of hate, malice and destruction every day to keep track of it. Thank you for that.
I don’t think it was a test. The timeline was tight for both of them and they had a matching week during that period. They wanted to see each other, he was in Southern Africa and they met there. Seemed more like time and opportunity to me