When Harry Met Meghan: A Royal Romance Premieres Sat 28 Oct on Channel 4

One Off documentary When Harry Met Meghan, airing on Saturday 28 Oct at 9.00pm on Channel 4, uncovers the inside story of Meghan Markle and the story of her relationship with Prince Harry to date.

The programme reveals the story of Meghan’s childhood in LA, and her relationship with Harry, featuring exclusive interviews with friends and colleagues. It reveals a smart, strong and independent woman with surprising similarities to Prince Harry both in her life story and values.

The doco also uncovers the astonishing story of Meghan’s ancestors, with original and exclusive genealogy research. It’s an all-American tale of humble origins and triumph over adversity played out in the Deep South on her mother’s side and in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania on her father’s side. The programme traces the first moment her father’s ancestors arrived in America, with some very surprising results about where they came from.

The documentary also features royal experts who’ve tracked the romance from its starting point and who address the question: how ready is Meghan to become part of the royal family? And how ready are the royals for Meghan? As an American, a divorcee and with opinions of her own, she breaks the usual mould for royal brides.

Growing up, Meghan Markle’s world was very different to Prince Harry’s: the leafy suburbs of LA, with both her parents involved in the film industry. Both Harry and Meghan’s parents divorced when they were a similar age; Meghan’s parents’ divorce was amicable and both parents imbued her with strong humanitarian values.

She broke through as an actor with the TV series Suits, where she plays bi-racial paralegal Rachel Zane. But there’s more to Meghan than acting: she’s a feminist and a philanthropist and can be outspoken on political issues. In charisma and her commitment to causes, the royal figure who Meghan most resembles is probably Diana, who would have been her mother in law.

Senior Producer and Director: Richard Sanders
Producer and Directors: Lisa Martinson, Edmond Buckley
Executive Producer: Julia Harrington
Producer Company: Renegade Pictures

When Harry Met Meghan: A Royal Romance airs Saturday 28 October 2017 from 9.00pm-10.00pm on Channel 4.