Meghan Markle was still living with her then-Chef Corey Vitiello when she went on her first date with Prince Harry, a new book claims.
According to “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors,” now in the UK, Meghan — then actress in the USA Network drama “Suits” — carried out a plan in 2016 to befriend a group of well-connected Brits. .
Among them was Harry’s childhood friend Violet von Westenholz, who worked as a publicist for Ralph Lauren. Meghan was hired to wear the designer’s clothes at the Wimbledon tennis tournament in the summer of 2016.
Speaking to Westenholz at Wimbledon, author Tom Bower writes, Meghan convinced “sensitive soul” Von Westenholz to arrange her on a blind date with the prince.
“Her problems were known to all unknown unmarried actors in their mid-30s – fear of loneliness and personal and financial insecurity,” Bower writes. “Unsurprisingly, Meghan was preoccupied with her own financial security — and finding a husband.”
Before agreeing to the scheme, the book claims, Westenholz sent Harry photos of the dark-haired actress.
Von Westenholz’s father, Piers, is an interior decorator and antique dealer and an old friend of Prince Charles’ wife Camilla. On weekend visits to the Westenholz’ Hertfordshire estate and on family vacations together, Princes Harry and William played as children with Violet.
Although Bower writes that Meghan’s two-year romance with Toronto chef Vitiello was in its final stages when she met Harry, they still shared a house together.
The book also claims that, two weeks after their first date on July 1, 2016, “Harry flew to Toronto in secret. He stayed at the house of a friend of Meghan’s, probably Jessica Mulroney, for about a week. Now that Cory is still sharing [Meghan’s] At home, the situation for Meghan was difficult but manageable.
“At the end of the week, after returning to London, Meghan was convinced her spell had been cast and the relationship with Harry would be sealed. She told Cory their affair was over,” Bower wrote.
According to the book, Vitiello was “relieved. The last few months had been unpleasant.”