Meghan Markle had a close connection with one member of the royal family before starting her romance with Prince Harry.

Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie had been pals even before she began dating Prince Harry.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, revealed the news during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The 39-year-old and her husband met with Oprah Winfrey for a candid interview titled Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special in March. The pair discussed their choice to stand down as senior royals, their relationship with the media, and what it was like for the duchess to meet members of the royal family for the first time during the interview. Princess Eugenie, Harry’s cousin, turned out to be a member of the family with whom she already had a connection.

Meghan said, “Eugenie and I had known each other before I had known Harry, so that was comfortable.”

“We’re friends with them as a couple.”

Eugenie and her now-husband Jack Brooksbank allegedly went on double dates with Meghan and Harry in the early days of their romance, as well as visiting Toronto, Canada, to see the pair when Harry flew to see Meghan when she was shooting for Suits.

After Princess Eugenie and Jack’s wedding in October 2018, rumors of animosity between the two couples began to circulate. On Eugenie’s big day, Meghan and Prince Harry broke the news that they were having their first child with relatives and friends, according to the book Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family. The pregnancy was formally revealed three days later on Kensington Palace social media channels as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex departed on their royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga.

According to writers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, “It did not go down particularly well with Eugenie, who, a source said, told friends she felt the couple should have waited to share the news.”

However, it seems that relations between the royal cousins have improved, with Eugenie and Jack moving into Frogmore Cottage, the house Meghan and Harry carefully refurbished before leaving the UK.

Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie have always had a special connection.

“Eugenie had always been more than just a cousin to Harry. They were also the closest of friends,” according to the book. “Out of all the Queen’s grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie have one of the most natural connections. Like Harry, Eugenie is loyal, honest, and great fun. The two had many nights out together in London.”

“Harry had always confided in his cousin when it came to the women in his life,” they added. “Not only did he trust her implicitly, but friends say that she gives great advice and has always been ‘beyond wise’ for her years.”

The circumstances surrounding Meghan and Eugenie’s meeting before Meghan met Harry are unknown.

However, it’s likely that they were introduced by the same mutual acquaintance who hooked Meghan and Harry together in the first place.